Hands Off
by The Name Is Not Zippy
Summary: A timid Lucario with a fear of being touched must spend a week on the largest Ranch in Sinnoh. While there, he meets a gorgeous, yet aloof and bookish Blaziken. The two grow closer to one another, and while together, begin to slowly come out of their shells. Rated T for mild violence, some strong language, and suggestive themes. Based upon the universe of my friend Kao1214.
1. Prologue

The following story is based upon the Pokemon universe of a very good friend of mine, Kao1214 (Kao for short.)

Within the universe, there is a famous named Brian in his mid-twenties. He is the owner of the largest Pokemon Ranch in Sinnoh, Skyline Ranch, located in Solaceon Town and financed by his winnings after defeating various regional champions, making him a multi-millionaire. His many Pokemon make their home here as permanent residents, and many come to the ranch to breed, mate, train etcetera.

One of his closest friends is Ross, also in his mid-twenties, an aspiring Pokemon psychiatrist, who lives outside of Lilycove. He treats Pokemon with mood and behavior disorders, and is known for allowing Pokemon to stay with him in his home as guests while he treats them. This is where the story comes in to play…

Meet The Characters:

Riley the Lucario

Age: Roughly 20

Riley is an intensely shy and sensitive Lucario, taking his name from the famous trainer. He was taken into Ross' custody two years prior to when the story takes place. Riley is also chiraptophobic, meaning he has a fear of being touched. Though timid, he is golden-hearted and insightful.

Steffi the Blaziken

Age: 21

Steffi is a beautiful, bespeckled, and buxom Pokemon. Though she possesses looks a supermodel would kill for, she would rather be left alone so she could engage in her favorite hobby, reading. Analytical, sarcastic, and incredibly intelligent.

Stevie the Blaziken

Age: 21

Stevie is the twin sister of Steffi. Stevie is much more athletic and outgoing than her twin, but is known to be more impulsive and hot-headed. Adamant and protective of her sister.

Serena the Gardevoir

Age: 23

Brian's right hand woman and closest friend, Serena is second-in-command on the Ranch, sharing a psychic link with Brian and playing the role of mother to a number of Pokemon. Though warm and friendly, she is just as willing to harshly scold troublemakers.

Morgan the Aggron

Age: Mid-thirties

Morgan is a testosterone fueled joker who enjoys smoking cigars and poking fun at those he meets. Although he may come off as a jerk, and he'll admit it, he actually has a soft and gentle center, though it takes some doing to get to it.

Janet the Toxicroak

Age: 22

Fiery-tempered, aggressive, and mildly sociopathic, Janet is the designated villain of the ranch. Janet loooves fighting, hates losing, and enjoys picking on those who she deems weak. She has a conscience, but it plays second fiddle to her over-inflated ego.

Mara the Floatzel

Age: 23

Quick in words and decisions, Mara is a curvaceous and fun-loving speed demon. Janet's only friend, she enjoys a good fight, but has a big heart and would never actually hurt anyone unless they really had it coming.

Duster the Krookodile

Age: 22

A loner, Duster doesn't have much to say to friends and strangers alike. He used to be a tremendous douche bag when he was younger, but has since cooled down and fallen in love with his mate Zoey, a Zoroark.

Ernie the Politoed

Age: Sixties

Ernie is an eccentric and wise Pokemon, playing the role of Grandpa and teacher to many of the young Pokemon on the Ranch. Supremely friendly, he can also be drop dead serious in a split second.

Myra the Gardevoir

Age: 41

Myra is an aloof and brittle Gardevoir, known to hold grudges and be downright unkind to strangers. Resents Serena for being Brian's choice Gardevoir, but is loyal to her teammates.


	2. Chiraptophobia

Ch. 1 Chiraptophobia

The fifth rainy day in a week had presented itself to Salaceon Town. It wasn't down pouring, but it was enough to turn the earth to mud and keep the sky a dismal, vapid grey. Off to the side of Solaceon stood Skyline Ranch, proudly situated on a lush field. Unfortunately, the constant beating of the rain had caused most of the grass to become enveloped in a marshy mixture of dirt and rocks. Slipping slightly through the boggy conditions, a young man in a brown raincoat advanced towards the ranch. Keeping his face out of the cold mist, his hands were tucked into his coat pockets, his right hand firmly clenching a Luxury Ball. The mud made unpleasant squelching noises under his hiking shoes. He stopped a moment to look at the ranch house. The lights were on, that's a good sign. He began awkwardly jogging towards it, hands still in the pockets. After he reached the yard, he caught his breath and tromped up onto the porch, scraping the mud off of his shoes by grinding them against the edges of the steps. He cleared his throat and knocked on the door. He waited, impatiently tapping his foot. The door was opened by a young, pretty Gardevoir. "Hey Serena, d'you remember me?" The young man took his hood off. Serena nodded, smiling. (Yes, of course I remember you. Do want to see Brian?) Telepathy was much easier than pantomiming. "Yeah, that'd be great. Can I come inside, it's disgusting out there." (Sure, come in, come in.) The young man stepped inside, cleaning his shoes off on the doormat. (I'll go get him for you. There are a few coat hooks over there, Ross.) Serena said briskly. She hurried off, leaving Ross to hang up his sopping wet rain coat. He was dressed in his typical jet black hoodie and blue jeans. Ross delicately took out the Luxury Ball from his coat pocket.

"Ross, hey, how are things?" Brian came into the anteroom, grinning from ear to ear. They gave each other a quick hug before Ross stepped back. His normally expressively gleeful face was all business. "Brian, I'm actually here on a serious matter." Brian's smile flickered. "Err… alright." Ross took out the Luxury Ball he had been so carefully handling. "This," Ross said, gesturing with the shiny black ball, "is one of my patients. His name is Riley." Brian raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Uh huh, and?" "I'm in Solaceon town on hiatus, I'm taking my three week vacation. I've been working with Riley here for two years now, he's an emotional mess. Depression, paranoia, you name it." Brian scratched his head. "What do you want me to do with him?" Brian said, perplexed. "He's here with me because he's going to spend the week with you." Ross said tersely. Taken aback, Brian's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, what?" "Okay, let me explain. Riley doesn't have a happy past, and as a result, he's scared of other people. We've been practicing, and I want to give him sort of a test, an exam, if you will." Ross paused to clear his throat. "So, since I'm on vacation, why not let Riley stay here with you? There are Pokemon everywhere, this place is freakin' huge, I figured, how about giving it a shot?" Brian was a little irritated. "Why didn't you call in advance? I'm fine with it, but I kind of need a warning ahead of time." Ross huffed. "I did. I tried fourteen times." Brian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I see your problem, I've been really busy. I'd be happy to take him in."

Ross was suddenly all smiles. "Great! But, there are a few things you need to do." He held up a finger and pulled out a Ziploc bag from the other pocket of his raincoat. It was full of medicine bottles, and they rattled violently when Ross tossed them to Brian, who caught them clumsily. "In there are pills he has to take every morning. I've marked the bottles with numbers that tell you how many to give him. There are also three major rules you need to follow. One, don't let him wallow by himself all day. Two, try to get him to mingle among the others. And three, most importantly, DO NOT TOUCH HIM. He has a serious fear of being touched." Ross grabbed his coat. "If you need me, call the Hotel." And with that, he hurried out the door, leaving the Luxury Ball with Brian. He couldn't help but laugh slightly at his sporadic friend. He stared down at the Luxury Ball, and his reflection stared back at him. He needed to meet Riley.


	3. Xenophobia

Ch. 2- Xenophobia

"Well Riley, I'm very pleased to meet you." Brian introduced himself as politely as possible to the Lucario. Riley was about an inch shorter than Brian, and he was skinny. His muzzle was more pushed in than most Lucarios with a white spot in the center. His expression was disarmingly morose, his ears down at his cheeks and his arms tucked behind his back. The most outstanding feature was his eyes, they were a blinding shade of green, almost to the point of looking like someone had taken electric green paint to his irises. Their vibrant color was offset by the complete lack of happiness in them. Riley smiled diffidently at Brian's welcome, which disappeared almost instantly. "Do you want me to show you around?" Brian said after an awkward pause. Riley nodded. "Okay, well I suppose we could start he-" A shrill crash cut him off. A rock, roughly the size of a Graveler, came hurtling through a window, smashing the glass to smithereens and landing on an armchair, knocking it over. Riley dived to another chair and cowered behind it. "Son of- what's going on out there?" Brian grabbed his raincoat and ran out the front door. Riley peered over his chair at the wreckage. He was going to hate it here.

"Salazar! Stop it! Put that down, NOW!" Salazar, Brian's unhinged Hydreigon, was clutching a rock in one of his mouths. "Salazar! Put it DOWN! If you don't drop that, you're going into stasis again!" Salazar grudgingly threw the rock away from the ranch, hitting a tree and cracking it in two. "Okay, what happened? What were you doing?" Brian yelled. Salazar stood bitterly, slobber dribbling out of his 'lead' mouth in slimy cords. "Look, Salazar! I have a guest with me, and you're making a terrible impression! Now I want you to move your psychotic ass back into your quarters, or I swear, I'll make sure you never see an explosion again, got me?" Salazar snorted irately, but stomped back to his quarters obediently. Brian massaged his temples and breathed a heavy sigh. He needed to get the mess cleaned up that his flake of a Hydreigon made. But Riley still needed to be shown around the ranch. He looked around at the observing Pokemon. "Uhh.. Mara!" The shiny Buizel looked up expectantly. "Could you come-" Mara was in front of him. "..here. We have a guest, and he needs to be shown around. But listen, he's shy. Don't touch him, and, I know this is a chore for you, but try to move a little slower than usual." Mara wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're the only one around who knows this ranch backwards and forwards. Just do it this once?" Brian said pleadingly. Mara pursed her lips, but nodded after a while. "Zelzel." she answered. Brian promptly hugged the Buizel. "Thank you soooo much!" Mara pushed him off, a little rattled. "S-sorry. This is just really important." Brian said sheepishly.

Riley stood, staring warily at the broken glass on the floor. He had cristallophobia ever since he was a Riolu. He stepped across the floor, doing his best to avoid the shards of glass. After making his way over to the other side of the room, he poked his head into the adjoining hallway. It seemed to go on forever, he couldn't see the end. "Impressive, eh?" Riley spun around in fright. A shiny, female Buizel stood across the room, over the sea of glass shards. She was in very good shape, her coat sparkled in the despite the gloomy lighting from outside. She had prominent curves and he found her very attractive. She nimbly tiptoed through the glass over to him. "We're gonna need to clean that up. Anyway, forget about that, I'm Mara." She extended a paw to shake, but Riley recoiled away from it, like she was going to attack him. "Please, just, just an introduction would be fine." Riley said meekly. Mara raised her eyebrow at the neurotic Lucario. "Al-righty then. Your name's Riley, yeah?" Riley nodded. "Yes. It's nice to meet you." Riley spoke in an infirm, frail tone of voice, never once looking Mara in the eye. "Hey, are you alright? You look really upset." Mara said, concern ghosting across her face. Riley took awhile to respond. "Yes. I don't travel much, I don't see that many new Pokemon, a-as a result." Mara smiled almost instantly. "Oh, I get it! You're just shy. Well, you don't have anything to worry about, Riley, we're all good Pokemon here…well, most of us." Riley felt a new gush of fear in his stomach. "But forget about that, let me show you around!" Mara began the tour, showing Riley the various rooms in the ranch house. Nothing particularly stood out to him. "..and this is the library. I don't go in here much, I'm not a reader." Riley scanned the room briefly. Then his eyes hit the Blaziken sitting in a chair. She was absorbed in her book, not noticing him or Mara when they came in. Her crystal blue eyes brimmed with intelligence, amplified by her rectangular glasses. Her body was tantalizing. She wasn't in shape like Mara, but she had the same smooth curves. As much as he hated thinking it, her breasts were plump and healthy, as well. She must have had some form of help, she must have cheated. Her face was, was, gorgeous. Riley shook himself out of this sentimental trance long enough to ask Mara a question. "Who's that girl in the chair?" Riley said, his voice cracking in the middle of his sentence. "Oh, that's um, ummm, what's her name, Steffi, that's it!" Steffi glanced up at the mention of her name. "Hey Mara. Who's that with you?" She had a much deeper voice than expected. "This is Riley, he's a guest." Steffi waved to him, giving him a smile. Riley couldn't respond, he just waved back. Mara hurried him along to the next room. Riley followed in a daze.


	4. Agliophobia

****A/N** I must acknowledge a typo I made in the last Chapter and forgot to edit out. Mara is not a Buizel, she is a Floatzel. She is also Shiny. Enjoy! **A/N****

"Well, Riley, what do you think?" Mara had finished her tour of the main house in twenty minutes time.

"It's nice. Is it okay if I stay in the Guest Room? Please don't take this personally, but I prefer to sleep by myself." Riley said, still making as little eye contact as possible with the Floatzel.

"Well, that's more up to Serena than it is to me. She's a Gardevoir, and she's boss around here. But don't worry, she's super nice and I'm sure she wouldn't mind you in the Guest Room."

Mara peered over Riley's shoulder to look out the window. "Check it out, the rain stopped." Mara swiftly made her way over to the door and opened it. "What d'you think, you feel like looking around outside?" she said expectantly.

Riley gulped silently, but nodded. "Okay." Mara beamed. "Cool!" Mara turned to exit, but found the doorway blocked by a muscular Toxicroak.

"THERE you are, Mara, where the hell have you been?" Riley was alarmed at the female voice that came from such a sturdy body. "Take it easy, Janet. I was just giving Riley here a little feel for the land." Janet turned her eyes to Riley, and donned an unimpressed expression. "Original name. Did it take long for your Mom to come up with that?"

Mara swatted her friend on the shoulder. "Hey, knock it off." Mara gave Riley an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Riley. Janet here is a bit prickly around strangers."

Before Riley could respond, Janet spoke up again. "Yeah, sure. Look at this guy, he looks like a Haunter just licked his-" "Janet, I said stop."

Janet grinned. "Do I scare you or something? BOO!" Riley jumped sharply, causing Janet to erupt in laughter. "Wow, what a pansy."

"Don't talk to me like that!" Riley shouted, a bit louder than he meant to.

Janet's smile slid off of her face. Riley felt a creeping sense of dread in his stomach. "Oh. I'm sorry, I-I didn't, I, oh God!" Riley turned tail and walked quickly away into the adjoining hallway.

"Way to go, Janet. You scared him off. Why do I hang out with you?"

"He had it coming."


	5. Caligynephobia

Steffi scratched at an itch in her feathers as she read her novel.

"The impulse had become irresistible. There was only one answer to the fury that tortured him. And so he committed his first act of murder. He had broken the most deep-rooted taboo, and found not guilt, not anxiety or fear, but freedom. Any humiliation which stood in his way could be swept aside by the simple act of annihilation: Murder."

The library door was slammed, causing her to jump. The skinny Lucario from before was very clearly out of breath, and he was massaging his scalp, muttering to himself. "Way to make a good first impression, stupid!" he said fitfully. He forgot that Steffi was in the room with him, and started when he saw her. "Are…you alright?" The Blaziken asked with a raised eyebrow. "I-I-Can I stay here for a little while?" Steffi shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Yeah. Sure. What are you running from?" Riley shuffled his feet sheepishly. "I lost my temper with that shiny Toxicroak."

Steffi adjusted her glasses. "So you've met Janet. Charming person, don't you think?" Riley laughed weakly. "You can sit down, there's plenty to read in here." Riley sat down in a chair opposite Steffi. "What are you reading?" Riley asked after a while. "Tenebre, but I'm not really enjoying it." Steffi seemed to want to read in silence instead of talk. Riley drummed his feet on the ground nervously. "What do you recommend?" "Beg pardon?" "I like reading. What do you recommend?" Riley had barely read a book in his life, but he wanted to intrigue this girl.

"I need to know what you like before I can recommend something to you." "Uh…" Riley hadn't thought that far ahead. Think, Riley! THINK! "Th-thrillers." Steffi immediately jabbed a talon towards one of the shelves. "The Bird With Crystal Plumage. It moves a little slow at first, but stick with it and you'll enjoy it." Steffi hadn't looked up from her book. Riley tentatively stood up and went over to the shelf. He extracted the dusty book from the shelf, which irritated his nostrils and made him rub his nose against his forearm. "What's it about?" he asked, furiously massaging his nose. "The title has little to do with the book, it's a murder mystery." Steffi's crystal blue eyes remained focused on her novel. Riley swallowed. "Would, would you, like, to maybe, g-"

"Sis! Lunch is ready!" Another Blaziken that looked almost identical to Steffi came into the library. The only differences between the two were the other's lack of glasses, her less straight feathers, and she was in much better shape than her counterpart. "Alright, I'm coming. Riley, this is my twin sister, Stevie." Stevie looked in confusion at the Lucario. "I don't think I know you." Riley was about to speak, but Stevie interrupted him. "Oh! Wait a second, you're that guest, right? Hey, sorry about that, good to meet ya!" Steffi stretched, cracking her back. "Riley, I hope you enjoy the book. Maybe I'll see you later." The twins headed for the door, but halted when Riley spoke up.

"Wait a second! Is it alright if, can I go to lunch with you?" The twins exchanged surprised glances. "Well, alright. I don't see why not." Steffi said. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. Do you mind meeting new Pokemon, Riley?" Stevie asked. Riley stiffened. Don't act weird, be social. "I've met so many new people today, a few more wouldn't matter." he said, wearing what he thought was an attempt at a smile. "Sounds good to me. Follow us, we'll take you to the Cafeteria." Stevie said, grinning. The twins left, and Riley started after them.

Riley's jaw dropped. There was another building to the right of the farmhouse, and it was MASSIVE. Inside, the floors and walls were a clean shade of white, and the ceiling was almost too high to be seen. Various little stations were set up, marked with a different colored symbol. Riley assumed these were Pokemon Types. Pokemon were everywhere, sitting around at tables enjoying food of unlimited variety. Riley bit his lip. "Hey Riley, the Fighting Type food is over there if you want it." Steffi pointed towards a station with a brown fist as a symbol. "Thank you. Where do you sit?" "Outside. We'll holler if you can't find us." Stevie said. The identical Blazikens left, and Riley headed for the station. A few passing Pokemon glanced at him on his way there, confused at the sight of the stranger. "Make eye contact, make eye contact." Riley was remembering his psychiatrist's advice. He reached the station and studied his choices of food. Nothing particularly appetizing, but he needed to eat. He took a couple of energy bars and looked around for the outdoor exit. Then his eyes fell upon another station. This was marked with a picture of fruit. Berries. Riley had never had one in his life, and it had been his dream to finally try some. He placed the bars carefully into their respective places and headed for the berry station.

"A Lucario, huh?" Morgan dragged his steel fingernail along the surface of a boulder, heating up the end. "Yeah. He's cute, too!" Stevie chirped. The Aggron placed the heated end of his nail onto his cigar, lighting it and beginning to puff on it. "Do you know anything about him?" Morgan said through his cigar. "Nothing in particular. He seems to be really timid." Steffi said, reading her book. Morgan adjusted his cigar in a smirk. "Another boy following you around, eh?" Steffi looked up sharply from her novel. "Shut up." she said coolly, her glasses glinting. "Come on, Salt, get a reality check. He's gunning for you." Steffi adjusted her glasses and raised an eyebrow. "Not every male acquaintance of mine is dying to go out with me, Morgan. You're a guy, I don't see you head over heels in love." Morgan snorted. "Kid, I'm twice your size." Stevie interrupted him. "A-nyway, have you seen the others? I want Riley to meet them, too." Morgan exhaled smoke, the black cloud curling in on itself. "Not in awhile. Why do you care so much, he's just another guy." "I told you already, I think he's cute! I want him to get to know us better." Morgan chuckled dryly. "Seems as though he's got a thing for your duplicate already." Steffi rolled her eyes. Morgan lazily glanced up the field, then pointed. "Is that him?" Stevie turned around. "It is! Hey Riley, over here!" She stood up and began waving. Morgan squinted. "What the hell is he carrying?" Riley was making his way across the field, clutching four baskets, two in each paw. "They look like baskets of Berries." Stevie said, scratching her head. Morgan chuckled again. "From the looks of it, he took the whole bar." Riley finally made it up to the three Pokemon and, after gently setting his baskets down, sat on the grass with the twin Blazikens. "Hey, what's with all the Berries?" Steffi inquired, staring at Riley's collection of fruit. "I've never had any before. I figure I should try them all." Morgan took his cigar out of his mouth. "You've never had a Berry in your life?" he said incredulously. Riley shied away from the Aggron. "Who are you?" he said, intimidated. "Riley, this is Morgan, he's a team member and friend of ours." Steffi said. "Yeah, good to meet you." Morgan said gruffly, placing his cigar back in his mouth. Riley looked confused. "Why are you smoking?" he asked, noticing how awkward the cigar looked in Morgan's large jaw. "I like them." was Morgan's blunt response. "But, it's bad for your lungs…" "Eating too many berries is bad for your stomach." Morgan retorted. Riley didn't say anything else, and picked up a Berry. A somewhat cone shaped white fruit covered in thick blue skin. "Well, here goes nothing." Riley opened his mouth to bite into the Chesto Berry. "Uh, I wouldn't do that." Steffi warned, but Riley already sunk his teeth into the skin. Amazingly, he bit through the rock hard fruit like he was eating a roll of bread. He chewed up the Berry and wrinkled his nose. "This tastes like chalk." He swallowed what was in his mouth and put the remaining Chesto Berry into his empty fourth basket. "How'd you do that?" Stevie said, amazed. "Do what?" Riley said, perplexed. "I can't get into one of those things with a sledgehammer, you just bit through it." Morgan said, somewhat shocked as well. "Oh. Um, I have sharp teeth and strong jaws." Riley said, moving a few Berries around in his basket. Steffi was skeptical. "Exactly how strong are they?" Riley paused and looked up at the Blaziken. "IMPRESS HER!", his brain screamed. He noticed a nearby rock and picked it up, squeezing it to make sure it wasn't a dirt clod. Without hesitation, he bit into it. All three Pokemon's mouths dropped open as he effortlessly bit through the rock, chewing it into gravel. He spat out the remnants in disgust. "That strong." he spluttered, taking Stevie's bottle of water and washing his mouth out with it. "H-how did they get to be that powerful?" Steffi said, awestruck. "Harris trained me and fed me special food." Riley said, after spitting out the dirty water in his mouth. "Who's Harris?" Morgan inquired. "My former Trainer." Riley was still put off by the earthy taste in his mouth and selected a Berry at random. "Former?" Steffi said. Riley clutched the Razz Berry he had close to his chest. "He was arrested for aggravated battery." "Yikes, who'd he beat up?" Stevie asked, moving a bit closer. Riley bit into the Razz Berry, red juice covering his lips. "Someone he shouldn't have…" Riley's voice trailed away. Steffi noticed the distant expression on his face, and tried to change the subject. "Riley, you were going to ask me a question in the library before Stevie interrupted us. What were you going to say?" Riley stiffened. The spicy tingle in his mouth melted away in a heartbeat. "I, was, I was going to…" Riley clenched his fists, squashing the soft Razz Berry into scarlet pulp. Juice dribbled down his paws as he tried to find his words. "Riley, what's the matter?" The twins asked simultaneously. "I-I-I-I, w-w-well, if y-y-you, w-w-want-t-ted, t-t-to." Panic filled the Lucario's eyes as he wrung the dripping mess that used to be a Razz Berry in his wet paws. "Steffiwouldyouliketogoonadatewithme!" he finally forced out. Steffi's eyes widened briefly, before adjusting her glasses and clearing her throat. "I…I'll think about it." Steffi said. Riley nodded, then grabbed his baskets with his sticky red paws and fled towards the cafeteria. Morgan smirked. "What did I tell you?"


	6. Sarmassophobia

***A/N* The first part of this chapter is written by my good friend Kao1214, who is responsible for creating most of the characters you're reading about. He's a talented writer, and I'm sure you'll enjoy his work too. *A/N***

Plodding along with his head bowed, Riley sighed. Well, he had just managed to screw everything up, hadn't he? The image of Steffi's shocked face was cemented in his mind, a reminder of just how little she wanted to do with him.

I'll think about it.

A nice way of saying no.

He sniffed and rubbed a paw across his muzzle before looking up. His eyes widened at the sight that greeted him. In his flight of shame, he had managed to make his way to an expansive lake in the middle of the ranch's grounds. Suddenly self-conscious, he glanced about himself to see that many other Pokémon were enjoying their lunch around the borders of the water. The lake was large enough, however, that he could easily find a place to eat his own in private.

Hunching his shoulders, he slowly stepped over to an unoccupied place on the shore. He sat down with his back to the waters and sighed again before turning his attention to the baskets of berries he was still carrying. A small cry of alarm came from him when he saw that they were suddenly more than halfway empty. Grabbing one of them, he hoisted it up close to his face and began desperately scrutinizing its depths, as if it would proffer an explanation as to the fate of the missing berries. He was so engrossed in his search that he didn't hear the soft gurgling of water coming from behind him.

Glancing quickly about him, he noticed a staggered trail of berries leading back to where he was sitting now. Groaning in defeat, he reared his backward to stare at the sky with closed eyes. He must dropped most of them when he took off running. For what wouldn't be the last time that day, he sighed again and opened his eyes... and his brain froze. He blinked.

The Milotic looking at him from above blinked back. She cocked her head curiously as she regarded him. Having just emerged from the waters of the lake, she was dripping wet. The motion dislodged a droplet, which fell to break on Riley's upturned nose.

The cold water was enough to break him out of his shock. With a shriek, he lunged forward and furiously back-peddled away from the Milotic. She yelped in alarm and ducked back into the water, so that only her eyes were above the water. Panting heavily, Riley desperately tried to calm himself. Oh, what was it his psychiatrist had told him to do in situations like these to calm himself? Deep breaths. Just take deep breaths and think calming thought-

(Oh, wow, sorry if I scared you!) the Milotic laughed, rising out of the water a bit more.

OhGodnowshestalkingtomewhatdoido-

(Uhh...) Riley replied stupidly.

(I just haven't ever seen you here before, and I generally know every Pokémon here. Well, at least those that care to be sociable.) She paused briefly. (You're not one of those antisocial ones are you? Is that why I don't recognize you?)

(Uhhh...) Riley said again.

The Milotic just looked at him for a few seconds. (Well at any rate, my name's Millie! What's yours?)

(Uh.)

Millie frowned. (You don't talk much, do you, 'Uh'?)

To Riley's relief, the sound of splashing water interrupted them before he could conjure up another eloquent response. A spray of misted water was tearing toward them, before it got close enough to resolve itself into the form of a Floatzel streaking through the water. It screeched to a stop by them, splashing them both. Now dripping wet, Riley could only blink at Mara, any comfort at a familiar face torn away by how strange the current situation was becoming.

(Yo, Millie! Finally found you!) she laughed at the Milotic, as she smiled back. (And you found Riley too! Great to see you meeting new people, bud.) she said, the last bit directed at the now quivering Riley. Mara paused, staring at him curiously. (Riley? ...You okay?)

Eyes jerking over her shoulder towards Millie, he gritted his teeth. (Help.)

Suddenly looking concerned, Mara spun around in the water to face Millie. (You... you didn't touch him, did you?)

(What? I- no!) Millie said, frantically swinging her head back and forth. She froze half way through a revolution and frowned. (Why?)

Sighing, Mara waved a paw at her as she turned back around. (It's a long story. Just... just don't, for future reference, okay?) She swam a little closer to the shore and frowned in concern at Riley. (Are you okay, Riley?)

Grimacing, the Lucario pulled his knees into his body, grabbing pawfuls of grass as he avoided her gaze. Thoughts of his botched attempt at romance came flooding back to him. (No.) he whispered, squinting against the sting of tears that were suddenly prickling the edge of his vision.

***Thus ends the segment written by Kao1214. The rest is my doing. Enjoy!***  
"Riley, what's wrong? You're shaking." Mara said, now climbing out of the water.

"Steffi."

"Steffi!?" Mara and Millie exclaimed at the same time. The two began bombarding him with questions.

"What happened?" "Did she do something to you?" "Is she okay?"

Riley looked away in shame. "No… I… I asked her out."

"WHAT?!" The two exclaimed simultaneously yet again.

Riley wiped his eyes and looked at Mara. "I didn't think, I'm sorry." he muttered.

"No need to apologize." Mara said, smiling at the pleasant turn of events.

"Did she reject you?" Millie asked understandingly. "She's super choosy when it comes to guys. How long has she known you?"

"A few minutes."

"Wow. That's super gutsy." Millie said.

"She said she'd think about it." Riley said.

"Well that's not 'no,' is it?" Mara said. "Come on, buddy, stay optimistic."

"I know it means no. It always means no." Riley said, burying his face in his paws.

Mara sighed at the Lucario, then suddenly got an idea. "Millie, you wouldn't know where Ernie is, would you?"

Steffi sat cross legged on a stump, chin in her talons, eyes pointed at the ground. "She's in her thinking position." her sister said to a Flygon crouched next to her. Penelope, Penny for short, was a close friend of the Blaziken twins, having trained with them on Brian's journey through Hoenn.

"Okay, what happened?" Penny said to Stevie, her voice lowered. "She got asked out again." Penny raised an eyebrow, a little under whelmed at the news. "…That's it?" "Well this guy seems to be a nice, sensitive Pokemon. Penny scoffed. "That's what she thought of the last one, Stevie." "This guy's a basket case, too!" Morgan called from a fair distance away. Penny gave him her frostiest look before turning back to Stevie. "Is he really?" she whispered, not wanting Morgan to hear. "No! No, no. He's shy, I guess, but he's not crazy." Stevie lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "He's cute, too."

Penny looked to Steffi, who hadn't budged. "Where is he now?" Penny asked. Stevie shrugged. "Don't ask me, he left after he asked out Steffi. He ran like a Zubat outta hell." "I could probably find him." Penny said with an air of pride, giving her wings a flap. "Uh-uh. Not until Steffi comes to a decision." Stevie said firmly. The sound of a throat being cleared startled the two Pokemon.

Gallium was another member of the party, an elderly Metagross with a taste for anything science, known for long long winded explanations and knowledge of nearly any subject.

"Pardon my intrusion…" Gallium had made his way over to the duo unnoticed. "…but I noticed a large number of my teammates standing in a group. Has something happened?" "Nothing huge. Steffi's thinking about whether or not she should date somebody, you probably wouldn't be interested." Penny said. Steffi suddenly clutched her head and grunted audibly. Stevie shared a look of concern with her two friends. "C'mon, let's go talk to her." she said, motioning for the group to move forward. Stevie approached her twin and placed a claw on her shoulder. "You okay, Sis?" she asked tentatively.

Steffi took a while to respond. "…Yeah, I'm alright." "You're sure not acting alright. Is there something you need to say?" Penny inquired, tilting her head to one side. Steffi sighed and turned around, a look of exasperation on her face. "I'm just having a hard time deciding, that's all." Stevie elbowed her playfully. "Come on, what's eating you? It never takes you this long to solve anything." Steffi averted eye contact with her twin. "It's nothing, really." Steffi stood up and walked in the opposite direction of her sister and friends. "Where are you going?" Penny asked. "Getting a glass of water." Steffi replied quickly.

Stevie and Penny exchanged confused looks. "I don't get it. She NEVER acts like this." Stevie said, now becoming worried about her sister's odd behavior. "If I may…" Gallium quietly cut into their conversation. "I've been studying Steffi's verbal and facial tics, and if I'm not mistaken, she seems nervous about something. Did this boy who asked her out threaten her in any way?" "What?! No! God, no! Where'd you get that idea?" Stevie said, taken aback. "Well, then she's obviously hiding something." Gallium said.

Stevie scratched her head. What would Steffi be embarrassed about? Suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Hold on. Wait a second." Stevie took off swiftly after her twin. Steffi noticed her coming, but ignored her. Stevie eventually caught up with her, and began silently walking alongside her. After a few moments, Stevie decided to nip the dilemma in the bud.

"You like him, don't you?" "No." Steffi replied automatically. Stevie grinned. "Oh come on, Sis, there isn't anything wrong with liking someone!" "I don't like him like that, Stevie. Leave it alone." Steffi said back. Stevie then stepped in front of her twin, blocking her path. "Steffi. Listen to me. I've known Riley for about eight minutes, and I already know two things about him. One. He's not like the other dips that've asked you out, they had swelled heads about the size of Drifblims and could care less about your personality, they just liked you because you're hot." Steffi tried to walk past her, but Stevie grabbed her shoulder. "Two. I may not be as book smart as you, but I know more about guys. And I know full well that if you turn this guy down without testing him first, you'll break his heart six ways from Sunday."

"So, you're saying I should date him because I feel bad for him?" Steffi replied tersely. "No. I'm saying that if you turn him down, not only will you be missing the chance to date someone who may really care about you, you'll also be ruining what might be a very good friendship. Give him a chance, and if he turns out to be a jerk, dump him."

Steffi crossed her arms and glared as hardly as possible at her twin. "I can solve this on my own, thank you very much." she said irately. "No. No, you really can't." Stevie said back. Steffi turned away from her twin and began walking in the other direction. "Just give him a chance, Steffi! One chance, that's all." Stevie yelled in frustration. Steffi didn't respond, but those words echoed in her head as she walked away from her sister.

Riley walked silently behind Mara, not bothering to keep up with the fast pace of his new friend. "We should be on the other side of the lake soon, Ry. I have a feeling Ernie'll have some wise words for you." Riley nodded and smiled. "So, just out of curiosity, why are you so bent on dating Steffi anyway? I mean, besides the fact that she's pretty." Riley scratched behind his ear. "I- well, I was drawn in by her looks, but I've always wanted to date someone who was smart." Riley's eyes suddenly widened in horror. "Oh my god. I-I didn't mean it that way. I'm not saying you aren't smart, but," Mara chuckled good naturedly and waved him off. "Ry, don't worry about it, I know you didn't mean it like that. So, you like smart people, huh? I guess I can see that." Riley furrowed his brow a bit at his new nickname. "By the way, I want to say that I'm really sorry about Janet. She's actually not that bad of a Pokemon, she's just really insensitive sometimes."

"It's okay. I know I'm not that good at introducing myself. I actually feel worse about shouting at her." Riley said, laughing timidly. Mara turned and smiled warmly at him. "You're a sweet guy, Riley." Riley blushed and looked down. "Oh! There's Ernie!" Riley looked over Mara's shoulder. An aged Politoed sat on the shore of the beach. He wore a rather disarming smile and held a cane that resembled the curled root of an exotic tree. He turned his head when he heard footsteps approaching him. "Hi, Ernie! I'm Mara, you know me, right?" "Of course, Mara! How have you been?"

Ernie had a voice that brimmed with life and energy, despite his age. "I'm fine, thanks. But I actually came to ask you for help with something." Ernie stood up. "Absolutely, what can I do for you?" Mara gestured behind her at Riley. "This is Riley." Ernie looked at the thin Lucario and beamed.

"Well, hello there! It's always nice to see a new face around the ranch." Riley waved in return. "So, Riley has a few self confidence issues, as he's recently asked out someone and he's very nervous about what she's going to say in return." Ernie nodded empathetically. "Ah, yes, I understand. Riley, could you come over here, please? I dislike shouting across the beach to talk." Riley stepped forward quickly, somewhat intimidated by Ernie. "Are you nervous, my boy? I can assure you that I mean no harm." Ernie said, patting Riley on the shoulder. Riley flinched violently and stepped backwards.

"Oh, damn it, I forgot to tell you Riley doesn't like being touched." Mara said. Ernie raised an eyebrow, but continued smiling anyway. "I'm terribly sorry Riley, I didn't know." Ernie said warmly. "It's-it's okay, I need to get over myself." Riley said, angry at himself. "Don't beat yourself over your fears, my boy. Now, could you come here please?" Riley tentatively approached the older Pokemon. "So, I hear tell you're nervous about what a girl will say to you after you asked her for a date." Ernie said, both hands on his cane. "Uh, yeah. I know she's gonna say no, though…" Riley said sadly.

"Poppycock!" Ernie exclaimed, making Riley jump. "First rule of self help, NEVER expect the worst." Ernie said sternly. Riley nodded furiously. "Okay." "Now then, if and only if she says no, be polite, calm, and most importantly, try to establish a friendship with her so no one will get hurt." Ernie suddenly tapped his cane on the ground. "But if she says yes, react accordingly." Riley raised an eyebrow. "Accordingly?" "Yes, accordingly. Every person is different, Riley. I can't tell you how to react when you're happy. You control that." Riley didn't quite understand. "I- alright." Ernie then beamed. "Good! I'm glad I could help, and I hope everything goes well." Riley smiled at the Politoed. "If you need any other advice, come see me." Ernie said before taking a seat on the shore. Mara came over to Riley. "So, did that help?" "Actually, yes. Now I think I can handle-" Riley froze up.

Steffi herself was coming down the beach, followed by Millie. "Riley, there you are." Steffi said, waving to the Lucario. Riley swallowed hard, but went to see her. "Hi Steffi. Listen, I'm sorry I ran off like that." "It's fine, really. I've been thinking about your offer…" Riley braced himself for the phrase that would follow. "…I'd love to go on a date with you." Riley was about to speak, but Steffi's reply surged through his brain like an electric shock. Adrenaline flooded through his body like a dam burst. The only thing he could say was "I…wha?" "It would be a pleasure to go on a date with you." Riley barely heard her speak, his body numb. "Would tonight at 8:30 be alright? I could meet you in the cafeteria for dinner." Riley dimly nodded, still processing Steffi's nine shocking words. "Well, good. See you then." Steffi smiled and turned to leave. Riley was rooted to the spot. Mara and Ernie exchanged satisfied looks. "Bravo, Riley."

***A/N* You'll have to excuse my re-release of this chapter, but there was a critical continuity error. I'm editing this from a rough draft, and at times I forget to edit certain details out. Sorry for the inconvenience. A/N***


	7. Ombrophobia

A few hours afterward at 8:22…

The sun had begun to set over Skyline Ranch, painting the sky a rich shade of orange. Unfortunately, clouds covered up most of the colors, as the moist weather of the past week had managed to invade again, causing a bit of a drizzle from the clouds. That drizzle quickly turned to rain. The rain quickly became a downpour. Oddly enough, the color still did its best to penetrate the cloud wall, turning it a color that resembled muddy orange juice. The sky had made it possible for Steffi to make out the words on her book, so she remained outside under the roof of a pavillion.

"I've been charged, I've tried building a plot the same way you have. I've tried to figure it out; but, I just have this hunch that something is missing, a tiny piece of the jigsaw. Somebody who should be dead is alive, or somebody who should be alive is already dead." "Explain that."

"You know, there's a sentence in a Conan Doyle book, 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Steffi frowned, still not all that interested in the book she was reading. Placing it down on the bench she was seated on, she put her chin in her talons and thought. 'So. You have a date tonight. The first one you've had in about a year.' She took a moment to wipe her glasses on her leg. 'Well, you should feel excited.' But she didn't. In fact, she was nervous. Why? She began breaking apart the various reasons in her head.

What if Riley DIDN'T turn out to be a good person? What if she didn't like the way the relationship was going, but deeply hurt Riley's feelings in the process? What if he was…

"No, no. Get over yourself. It's just one date." Steffi said out loud, shaking her head free of the intrusive thoughts. She glanced up and noticed a dim object seated on the edge of another bench. She stood up and walked over to it, taking care not to step in any water, and picked up the object. She was horrified to see the book she lent Riley with its front cover missing and the pages completely swelled up with water. "Wh-who did this?" she said to herself.

Suddenly, a peculiar scent hit her beak. It burned her nostrils to the point of making her cough. Rubbing at her nose, she looked a little closer at the book. Between the water, there were a few spots of a dark violet liquid. "…Poison." A Poison Type had slashed the cover off and had left it here in the rain. Suddenly feeling quite angry, she put the waterlogged novel over by hers, muttering to herself.

"Hey, Steffi! Long time, no see!" Steffi looked to her left to see a Zoroark and a Lopunny entering the pavillion. "Oh, hello Zoey." Steffi said, still very displeased. Zoey sat herself down on a bench. "D'you mind if we kick back here for a bit? It started to pour before we got back to the cafeteria." "Yes, that's fine." Shannon noticed the dripping pulp that used to be a book and grimaced.

"Did you drop that in a puddle or something?" she said, gesturing to it. "No, I found it out here. Did you see anyone holding this?" Both girls shook their heads. "This damn rain better stop soon, Duster's gonna flip if I don't come back." Zoey said, crossing her legs.

"Aruj gets really nervous if he thinks I'm in danger, too." Shannon agreed. Shannon was famous on the Ranch for being mated with a Garchomp named Aruj, and they loved each other dearly.

"No, he'll just be angry if I make him wait for dinner." Zoey said, smirking.

Steffi stopped brooding over the corpse of her novel for a moment as a thought crossed her mind. Both of these girls had long, successful relationships with their boyfriends. "Hey…" Steffi uttered rather quietly. Zoey and Shannon stopped talking and turned their attention to the Blaziken sitting across from them. "You two, have, boyfriends…yeah?" The two girls exchanged looks. "Uh, yeah?" "Why do you ask?" Steffi had been dreading this question. "Because… I have a date tonigh-"

"Wait, WHAT?" Zoey had exploded before Steffi had time to finish her sentence. "You have a date? YOU?! With who? When did this happen?" Steffi sighed and adjusted her glasses. "Today I was asked to dinner by a Lucario named Riley." she explained briefly. "Riley? Who's Riley? The trainer?"

Both girls were now sitting at attention. "Ok…" Steffi filled them in, who Riley was, what he was like, what he looked like, how it happened, and so forth. "Wow! This guy must have some serious charm if he got you to date him." Zoey said, flashing a toothy grin. Steffi averted eyes with the Zoroark. "But, why did you ask us about our boyfriends?" "Well, I, how did you make your relationships work so well?"

Zoey smirked again. "Easy. Duster has a real soft spot for me, but he didn't like anyone else, so I tought him how to be a better person. Whenever he did good I rewarded him, emotionally or, heh heh, physically." Steffi felt herself blush. "I don't think Riley's like that though."

Shannon spoke up. "Well, Aruj and I just sort of clicked when he evolved and settled down. I think if you like him and he likes you, a relationship is pretty easy." "That's the problem though, I'm not entirely sure I like him yet." Steffi said worriedly. Shannon smiled. "That's the point of a date, Steffi, to get to know someone better. If he's a nice guy, and your feelings are real, I say stick with him. Looks don't matter either, I mean, look who I'm with." Steffi felt a little better. "Thanks, that helps." Suddenly, her expression turned to one of shock. "Oh Arceus, do you know what time it is?" Zoey scratched her head. "Uh, I left to find Shannon at about 8:09, I'd say 8:30-ish." "Goddamnit!" Steffi suddenly got up and hurried away. "Hey, Steff! You forgot your book!" Zoey waved the non-damaged book in the air. "She didn't see you, Zoey. We better go get her." Shannon said, carefully picking up the other, less than dry novel. "Good idea. Besides, I kinda want to see this Riley guy.

8:22

Riley rocked back and forth, standing under the metal awning outside the cafeteria. He got caught in the rain while exploring the outdoor part of the ranch, so he ran for cover under here. He didn't really want to go inside to talk to strangers, so he remained under the awning, listening to the rain pound the metal.

Riley was cold, and frankly getting a little bored, but he wanted to be a gentleman and wait for Steffi out there. The rain outside was making drops of moisture cling to his fur, so he had to repeatedly shake to get the water out. While smoothing out his chest fur after the third time he shook himself dry, a beam of light crept its way across the property from the cafeteria. Riley recognized this as the door being opened. "S-Steffi?" he called out. There wasn't a response. He decided to check out who the person was himself. But as he walked towards the light, he lost his footing on the slippery concrete.

Stumbling forward, he collided with a large muscular body. Immediately throwing himself off, he fell backwards, and his head met the concrete painfully. Groaning and clutching at his skull, Riley saw the blurry figure of who he crashed into. "You alright?" The figure was reptilian, tall, orange and black with a prominent maw and a thick tail. Riley's brain registered the figure as a Krookodile. "Hey, are you alright?" The Krookodile said again, stooping a little closer to Riley. "Yes, I'm okay." Riley stood up, taking care not to touch the tall reptile. "I'm sorry I ran into you."

Riley apologized immediately. "It's fine. Just be more careful next time." The Krookodile then squinted his small eyes and looked down at Riley. "Uh… are you from around here?" he inquired. "No. I'm visiting." Riley said, still rubbing his now swelling head. "Oh. What are you doing outside anyway?" Riley finally stopped cradling his wound before speaking up. "I'm waiting for someone. I have a date." The Krookodile looked confused. "I thought you said you weren't from around here." "I'm not. I, uh, asked out Steffi today, do you know her?"

The Krookodile raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Steffi? The Blaziken?" Riley felt a brief spot of paranoia when he saw the shocked expression the Krookodile had. "Err…yes?" "Tall? Glasses? Big bust?" "Well, yes…" "The most sought after chick on this ranch, the one who I've seen Pokemon get into fights over, THAT Steffi?" Riley was now very nervous. "I didn't know that…" Riley practically whispered.

"…Seriously?" The Krookodile asked. "I suppose so…" The reptile remained silent for a moment, then let out one, short laugh. "Damn, kid." he said, giving a thin smile. "What?" Riley inquired, still nervous. "That's pretty impressive is all. What's your name?" Riley was dumbfounded, but gave his name anyway. "R-Riley."

"Hm. Duster." "What?" "That's my name, Duster." "Oh." The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Riley finally spoke up. "Why are you out here, uh, Duster?" "Waiting for my girlfriend, too. She's a Zoroark." Riley noticed Duster wasn't much of a conversationalist, but it was kind of a refreshing change from all the fast talkers he met today. He only spoke in short statements, and most responses were "Mmm." or "Yeah." Riley was actually somewhat at peace with the giant reptile.

A few minutes went by until Duster started a conversation. "…So how'd you do it?" "I'm sorry?" "Steffi, how'd you get her to go out with you?" "Oh. I just, sort of, asked." Duster raised an eyebrow again. "Really?"

"Pretty much."

"Huh. Weird." Riley decided to speak up again. "What's Zoey like?" Duster actually smiled wistfully. "Perfect. Funny, smart, loving, everything."

"You forgot smoking hot."

Riley and Duster both jumped at the sound of the new voice. A Zoroark had silently crept up behind them. "Hey, baby." Zoey crooned, giving Duster a kiss on the nose. "Mmph! Cut it out!" Duster pushed her away. Zoey smiled mischievously. "Oh? I thought you said I was perfect, Romeo." Duster glared at her before standing up. "Let's just go get some dinner, alright?" Riley stood up too, and noticed Steffi and a Lopunny behind the couple. "Steffi!" he exclaimed, hurrying over to her. "Riley, there you are. Sorry I'm late." Riley and Steffi talked amongst themselves as the trio of other Pokemon looked on. "Soo…what was that you were saying about me, Duster?" Zoey teased, prodding Duster in the chest. "Let it go." "Come on, you big marshmallow!" "Stop it, Zoey!" "Funny, smart, loving?" "Zoey!"


	8. Heterophobia

The group of Pokémon remained together for a while, moving inside the cafeteria. Zoey and Shannon began asking Riley questions about him. Riley, while feeling a little uneasy, still managed to keep his composure during the onslaught of romantic interrogation. Personally, he felt more comfortable with Duster, who was looking on, still mildly frustrated with his girlfriend's chiding.

"She was really nice to me; I just sort of caved in after a while. She's also really pretty." Riley explained timidly.

"Aww, Riley, that's sweet." Shannon said. "It's true, Riley, she's a really good Pokémon. I still can't believe all you did was ask her. Do you know how many guys have tried?" Zoey exclaimed with a grin.

"Duster was impressed, too." Riley said.

The Krookodile shot him a 'don't drag me into this' look.

"Like I said, you should be proud of yourself. Not only did you get the ungettable girl, you impressed my boyfriend. That's two things no one on this ranch has been able to pull off."

Both Duster and Steffi rolled their eyes, but Riley looked down and blushed under his fur. Zoey chuckled before sighing deeply. "Well, I guess it's time we took our leave. You two enjoy your date, alright?" Riley nodded, and then maneuvered swiftly over to Duster.

"Can we hang out again?"

The hulking reptile stared for a moment. "Err…yeah. If you want." he said shortly. He then returned to following the girls. Steffi came over to Riley's side.

"Alright, let's get our food and meet out on the patio. The rain's settled down."

"OK, sure thing! I won't be long, I promise!" As Riley hurried off, he couldn't help but add a little spring in his step. He was incredibly excited, not only was this his first real date, it was with the prettiest Pokémon he had ever seen. He went over all the social notes Ross had given him multiple times in his brain. Eye contact, smiling and laughing, humor, he knew it all. And this dinner was going to be the fruit of his labor.

Steffi sat outside on one of the patio tables. The book that disappointed her all day let her down once again with a painfully predictable ending. "Classic thriller, my foot…" she muttered to herself, casting the novel aside.

She began to eat her supper before her date arrived. Manners could wait; her lunch had been cut short. In between beakfulls of food, she glanced inside the cafeteria, looking for Riley. She eventually caught sight of the lean Lucario skirting his way through the room clutching a trayful of food. He got a meal that didn't consist of only Berries this time, although they took up a portion of his tray.

Riley eventually made his way outside, nudging the door open with his back and maneuvering over to the table.

"I'm sorry I took so long, there was a bit of a line." Riley said hastily, seating himself.

"You were actually a lot quicker than my sister, it's a pleasant surprise." Steffi said matter of factly, drinking some of her water.

Riley tucked himself into the table and began delicately eating a Wepear Berry. After a few moments of silence, Steffi decided to start the conversation. "So, Riley. Tell me about yourself."

Riley swallowed his fruit, trying to respond as quickly as possible, "I-err… well, what do you want to know?"

"What was your childhood like?" Steffi asked, sipping her water again.

Riley scratched his head in thought. "Well, I was born in Veilstone City. I was my Mom's third child, I think. I don't really remember much about her, because Harris adopted me when I was really little. Harris was my trainer, if you didn't know. He lived in Fallarbor Town, so he took me there, and he raised me for, umm… sixteen years maybe? I think that's right. I'm not rambling, am I?" Riley wanted to make sure he wasn't boring Steffi.

"Of course not. Keep going." she said politely, motioning with her talons.

"Well, Harris taught me everything about battling, and-"

"Woah, woah, woah. You battle?" Steffi was thoroughly taken aback. "No offense at all, but you don't really look like the battling type."

Riley frowned, looking down at his body. "I used to. I gave it up after I left Harris's custody." He took a bite out of his Wepear Berry, now melancholy. Steffi put her chin in her talons.

"Why?"

Riley began massaging his cheek, almost subconsciously.

"…Can we not talk about this, please?"

Steffi was surprised at the pain in Riley's light green eyes. "Riley, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm sorry." Riley shook his head. "It's not your fault." Riley said quietly, not really speaking directly to Steffi. Steffi shifted worriedly in her seat and quickly changed the subject.

"What are your interests, Riley?" Riley's ears perked up a little.

"Music. I love music."

"What kind?"

"Anything if it's good, but especially alternative rock and classical." Riley, now forgetting about his memories, began telling Steffi about his favorite artists. "I love Tchaikovsky, and The Beatles, and Franz Shubert, have you ever heard of him?" Steffi shook her head. "Really? 'Who is Sylvia?' "

Riley actually sang a little bit of it for Steffi, who was surprised at his decent singing voice. "Well, you've certainly piqued my interest to check it out." Steffi said, charmed.

"I love it more than any of his other songs. It inspires me." Riley said, smiling slightly. He was finally starting to relax a little.

"…But enough about me, what are your interests?"

Steffi adjusted her glasses and tapped the book next to her. "If you can't tell by now, I love reading. I think I've read every book in the library." Riley looked perplexed, tilting his head to one side. "You don't battle either?" he asked.

"Nope. I have a bad leg. My sister and I were born from the same embryo, and during separation my leg got damaged and never healed properly. That's why I walk with a limp."

Riley frowned again, this time in empathy. "Wow, I'm so sorry." Steffi scoffed.

"Please, I'm fine. It's like walking with a prosthetic leg, it's just stiff."

The two took a break from their conversation to eat. About a minute later, Riley spoke up nervously.

"There's something I forgot to tell you."

"What's that?"

"If we're going to date, you should know I have a fear of being touched."

Steffi stopped eating. "Are you a germophobe?"

"No. Ever since I was born, I've hated anyone touching me. I don't know what it is." Riley looked ashamed.

"Well, I'm not really into physical relationships, so we should be fine." Steffi replied.

"Wait, what?" Riley said, confused. "I don't mind, Riley. We're probably not going to touch one another anytime soon, so don't worry." "…Really?" "Really." Riley sat back in his chair, feeling as though someone just removed a hundred pound weight from his shoulders.

The date went on for another hour, the two Pokémon chatting about this and that. Riley was considerably less nervous, laughing more than he had in what felt like a lifetime. By 10:00, both of them had eaten second or third helpings, so they were full to bursting.

"Oh man, I can barely move..." Riley said, sitting back and massaging his stuffed belly with one paw.

"Yeah, I think I ate past my limit too." Steffi said, feeling her stomach growl in satisfaction. "I guess I was having such a good time, I forgot about what I was eating." Steffi said, wiping her glasses with an unused napkin.

Riley looked up at her. "You had a good time?" he asked.

"Riley, are you kidding? Tonight was lovely." Steffi said, giving Riley a rare smile.

"So… can we do this again soon?" Riley said hopefully.

"Absolutely."

"So… is… err-this a err… relationship?" Riley said, stumbling over his words. Steffi laughed dryly.

"Slow down, Riley. Let's just say we're… 'More than friends.'" Riley nodded vigorously.

"More than friends, got it."

All of a sudden, there was a bright flash of light, and a Gardevoir appeared beside their table. "Riley, hi. I was- Am I interrupting something?" The Gardevoir looked at the two Pokemon sheepishly.

"No, we were just finishing up." Steffi said, standing up. "Oh, good. Well, Riley, I'm Serena, I'm one of Brian's helpers on the ranch. Ross called and said you were more accustomed to sleeping in a bed. Do you want the guest room?"

Riley thought, then nodded. "Alright then. He told me that you needed to be in bed by 10:00, it's past then. I think you better come with me." Riley happily obliged. Before Serena teleported, Riley looked Steffi in the eyes.

"More than friends.?"

"More than friends."

Riley then vanished in a burst of light.


	9. Sitophobia (Kao1214)

***A/N* This chapter is written entirely by Kao1214, following a request from me. He's an excellent writer, and I hope you'll enjoy his style. *A/N***

Riley jerked awake in bed as the raucous cawing tore through the air. Scrambling out from beneath the covers, he ran to the window in an attempt to discover the source of the racket. He quickly sighted it in the form of a Dodrio standing on the roof of the barn across the field. The sun had barely broken the horizon, but the day was evidently far along enough for it to feel the need to call the dawn.

Dooooo

Driiiii

Ooooooo

Sighing in resentment over the fact that he had been woken up over something so trivial, Riley slouched back from the window. It was then that he realized that he had been staring at a barn, and with that all of the waking amnesia was washed away and the memories of yesterday's events came flooding back in its place. And without even realizing it, a smile came with them too.

Riley yawned and stretched as he stepped into the ranch house's central room. He had quickly found that sleep was determinedly eluding him after the Dodrio's awakening, no matter how hard he tried to slip back into its arms. He had ended up deciding to take the chance to explore the house while most of its residents were sleeping, and maybe grab a book from the library for a conversation starter with Steffi.

Idly scratching his cheek, he peered around the living room curiously. It was surprisingly large and spacious when unoccupied. He made a move to sit on the edge of one of the couches in the room before pausing. Looking about the room again, something seemed wrong. Frowning, he stood frozen in his halfway-sitting-halfway-standing pose. He could've sworn he just heard something outside. But what had that been...?

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the sound he had heard repeated, but this time repeated at ten times the volume. More cries ripped through the air, but this time, instead of a Dodrio's cawing, a series of feral roars shook the early morning.

Eyes wide, Riley raced through the hallway till he came to the front door of the house. Not even thinking, he bolted through it to see what the commotion was.

He froze, however, at the sight of the monster standing in the yard.

Three heads snarling and coarse black fur rippling over its body, it obviously wasn't happy. Riley suddenly noticed the smaller form of a human standing in front of it, calmly staring it down. With a jolt of recognition, he realized it was the human whose ranch he was staying on, and the monster was the Hydreigon that had been terrorizing the ranch upon his arrival. All three of its heads lunged forward to roar in the human's face, and Riley found himself involuntarily flinching backward to cower against the wall of the house. The human didn't move, however. In fact, Riley could only watch in amazement as he lifted one hand, and then swung it forward to slap the beast across its main head. Its head jerked to the side before its eyes widened in fury and it spun back around to lunge forward in attack. The last thing Riley saw before he squeezed his eyes shut was a flash of red coming from the human.

His long ears twitched when they were only met with silence. Cautiously opening his eyes, Riley jerked them fully open when he saw that the Hydreigon was suddenly gone from the scene, and the human was unharmed. Not believing his eyes, Riley stepped forward as the human crouched down to pick something up from the grass. Seeing it was a PokéBall, comprehension dawned on him. The Hydreigon had been returned to its PokéBall in the middle of the attack by the human. Continuing forward, Riley was close enough to hear him sigh and mutter to himself.

"Salazar, you great stupid beast. Ready to try this again?"

Pausing in his walk forward, Riley cocked his head in confusion as the human stood up again. Swinging his arm around he released the ball into the air. Opening in midair, it released a stream of red energy that condensed into the form of the Hydreigon once more. It paused and blinked in confusion before Riley saw understanding of what had happened dawn in its eyes. "So, you feel like being cooperative, now?" the human called up to it.

Riley stumbled and fell backward in a panic as the dragon gave its answer in the form of another charge at its trainer...

...and was just as quickly confined to its PokéBall again.

The human ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "No, huh?" he said dryly. It was then he noticed Riley, still on his back in the grass, and a smile broke out across his face. "Hey, Riley! What're you doing up so early?"

Getting to his feet and dusting himself off, Riley paused for a second as he realized he didn't remember his current caretaker's name. Hesitating a second longer as he tried his best to remember, he turned to point at the Dodrio still perched on the roof of the barn.

The smile dropped off of the human's face. "Oh. Right. That. I meant to tell you about Kiwi, but seeing as most everyone here can ignore her by now, I guess it slipped my mind." Rubbing the back of his neck, his smiled apologetically at the Lucario. "I'm really sorry about that. It's the first day of your vacation, you're supposed to be able to sleep in!"

Not like ANYone could, with all the noise you're making out here. a new voice cut in. Riley frowned when he realized that he had heard the voice in his mind, as opposed to with his ears. As a result, he had no idea where it had come from, despite how familiar it was. The human, however, had instantly turned to to look back to the house, so Riley followed his gaze.

The Gardevoir that he had met last night after his date with Steffi was making her way out of the house, eyes squinted shut against the now more prevalent morning light and a coat haphazardly thrown on to ward off the chill.

"Ah, did we wake you, Serena?" he said.

Mmph. Came her response as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. What the heck were you even doing?

Riley's ears perked up at this, as he was still quite curious about the previous events himself.

The human sighed in response, tossing the PokéBall he still held up and down. "I was just trying to discipline Salazar after his little showing yesterday. Can't have him terrifying our visitors, yeah?" He turned to smile at Riley as he said this, catching the PokéBall one last time. Suddenly self-conscious about his reaction to the Hydreigon's small rampage yesterday, Riley hunched his shoulders and turned his gaze to the ground.

Do you realize how much of an oxymoron that sentence was? Serena said flatly. That's like trying to cut Delta off from the internet, it just doesn't happen, Brian.

"I dunno, I'd still like to try that sometime, just to see how it takes before he... cracks?" Brian trailed off as Riley suddenly perked up, a triumphant look on his face. "You okay there, Riley?"

(Ah, sorry, I just...) Riley stopped as he realized Brian wasn't likely to understand him. He turned to Serena. (Do you do translations...?) he asked tentatively.

"Well, hardly necessary when you can just tell me yourself." Brian said, smiling knowingly.

Riley couldn't help but jump. (You mean you actually understand what I'm saying?) he asked in amazement.

"Oh, I don't know if 'understand' if the right word for it." he said, beginning to gesture with his hands. "See, Serena and I share a mental rapport. Our minds are pretty much linked. So long as she's nearby, I'm able to understand you guys' language, due to her being able to understand it herself."

(Wow. That sounds... handy.) Riley said, still impressed.

It's got its uses, but it isn't wonderful all the time. This guy hits the booze, he won't be the only one feeling it in the morning. Serena said, smiling playfully and punching Brian lightly on the arm.

"When I hit the booze? I don't touch the stuff! As I remember it, you're the one who gave me the hangover!" he responded, laughing.

Riley found himself smiling along with them as they launched into a playful argument. Watching the trainer and his Gardevoir, he couldn't help but think about Ross, and the Gardevoir they lived with. Sophia ran translation duties for him, which was why he thought to ask Serena, but he hadn't ever even considered something like this before. Another thought struck him then. Ross and Sophia were exceptionally close, and this seemed like something that would result from an even CLOSER bond. (Umm...) he started, not quite sure how to ask. (so... are you two...?)

He was cut off by Brian. "Oh, hold that thought, Riley. Idea. You two wait here for a second." He dashed off toward the house, grinning to himself and leaving Riley alone with Serena.

Riley flinched as she realized she had fixed him with a thoroughly irritated stare, her good humor suddenly gone. (Yeah. I can hear what you're thinking. No. Don't even give him that idea.) she said aloud, no longer telepathically broadcasting. (We get enough annoying press coverage as it is.)

Blushing, Riley quickly nodded, not bothering to ask all the other questions that had raised. Things were very different here.

Riley stared about himself, not sure how to react to the new scenery. The morning was still young, and as a result, the town was still waking up. Brian had said it was called Solaceon Town, a small rancher's village between Veilstone and Hearthome City. They had passed more than one ranch on the way through, though none of them came even close to comparing to the scope of Skyline Ranch.

Brian had returned from his run to the house wearing a jacket of his own, insisting that he needed to treat Riley to breakfast somewhere special. And here they were now, cutting through the sleepy little town. Riley had found himself unintentionally hanging back to observe the town as it passed, while Brian and Serena walked ahead of him. He was broken out his thoughts by a call back to him, however.

"Hey, Riley. Don't be such a stranger, this is your breakfast. Come on." Brian said, gesturing for him to join them up front. While he preferred to hang back and continue taking in the surroundings, he didn't want to be rude. Riley sped up to match their pace.

He couldn't help but notice that all of them immediately fell into a noticeably awkward silence upon his arrival. "So..." Brian started, trying to break it. "I never asked, but what got you so excited back there, Riley?"

(Oh, that. It's embarrassing, but I had actually forgotten your name. Your conversation reminded me.) he said, beginning to trail off as he realized how awkward an explanation that was.

"Oh, no problem. I realize we didn't exactly get a good introduction yesterday, what with Salazar trashing the place. But hey, that's what this is for, right?" Brian responded, grinning at him. "Speaking of which, we're here!" He turned around to face them and gestured to the building they had come to.

Peering up at it, Riley had to say he wasn't very impressed. On what seemed to be the very outskirts of Solaceon Town, it looked just to be a plain log cabin. A small pinstriped awning hung over the front door, but nothing else stood out. Honestly, it reminded him the most of the house he lived in with Ross. Confused, he looked over to Serena. She glanced back to him before waving for him to follow. (Come on, you're gonna love it here. This is a great place.) Shrugging, he followed the two of them in.

The interior was noticeably more finely decorated than the outside, actually looking like a restaurant. A small bar ran along one wall, and the other had three booth and table combinations fixed along it. Many pictures of what Riley could only guess were famous patrons were hung on the walls, though he didn't recognize any of them. Small, shaded lamps hung from the ceiling, casting a warm and cozy light over the single room that made up the establishment. A girl in a waitress's uniform was rummaging around behind the bar, obviously still opening up for the morning. She glanced up at the sound of customers entering, and stood up with a smile of recognition on her face.

"Brian, Serena! Hey! Come on in! We haven't seen you two here in a long time."

Brian waved a hand in greeting. "Hey, Kati. I've got a guest here with me today, and I wanted to treat him to a good breakfast. Just give us the usual?" he said, starting toward the bar. He paused and craned his neck in an attempt to see into the kitchen behind her. "Is Sal not in yet?" he asked.

"Oh, no, he asked me to open today; he won't be in until later. Sorry you missed him, but... a guest, huh?" the waitress said, turning to smile at Riley. "Well, welcome to the Café Cabin, home to the best Moomoo Milk in all of Sinnoh!"

Riley smiled meekly back at her as she turned to head into the kitchen. As Brian and Serena took seats at the bar, he followed suit and slid onto a seat next to Serena. He folded his paws neatly in his lap and sat quietly as Serena grabbed the menu sitting nearby on the bar and began to idly flip through it. He couldn't help but stare at her out of the corner of his eye. He found himself thinking about Sophia again, and how incredibly different this Gardevoir was from her. He didn't want to judge her yet without having really gotten to know her, but her personality already seemed radically different from Sophia's, not to mention her looks. After so long of only having contact with Sophia, Serena was honestly a bit jarring.

"Yo, Riley, catch!" Brian called, leaning around Serena and tossing something his way. Reacting quickly, Riley caught the object, only fumbling it slightly. He looked at it to see it was the pack of pills Ross has left with him. "I assume you know which ones you're supposed to take once our meal arrives?" Brian asked. Riley nodded in affirmation. "Well then, while we wait, tell me about what it's like back home for you, Riley."

Riley shuffled in his seat before answering slowly. (Well, it's a lot smaller than your ranch...)

"I'd imagine so, few places dwarf Skyline." Brian laughed. "It's been awhile since I really talked to Ross. I know you have a Gardevoir that lives with you, but has he added any new recruits to the family?"

(There's Kane, a Manectric.) Riley squinted one eye, trying to think back to whether he was missing anyone.

"Really?" Brian said, raising his eyebrows. "That's certainly new. Do you all get along?"

(Oh, yes.) Riley said, nodding happily. (They're all my family, of course we get along with each other.)

Brian laughed again. "It's good you think like that, Riley. I know Ross thinks the same way, and I agree. Pokémon are our family, and I couldn't imagine it any other way." He gestured toward Serena. "Like Serena here. Sister, daughter, close personal friend, the exact relation doesn't matter. All that matters is that she's as important to me as any biological family member, and I'd do anything for her."

(Gag.) said Serena, who still hadn't looked up from the menu.

"Aw, come on, I know for a fact you think the same way about me! Huh? Right?" he said. Grinning, he threw an arm around the Gardevoir's shoulders and pressed her tightly to him.

She didn't resist, but rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. (Yeah, but that doesn't mean I go around getting all sappy about it.) she said, giving him a wry smile.

"See what I mean?" Brian said, looking back up to Riley before they fell into laughter.

Riley laughed along with them, but behind the smile he was deep in thought again. Humans and Pokémon together as family, as strongly devoted as any purebred one? He liked that thought... yes, he really did. The three of them quickly fell into another conversation, and Riley realized how much he was enjoying himself now. He barely noticed when the waitress returned with three glasses of chilled Moomoo Milk, but he did notice how spectacular it tasted going down after he quickly popped his medication. It was only later that he realized barely half an hour had passed when the new arrival showed up.

They were so wrapped up in their discussion that they didn't even notice the boy who came out from the kitchen, instead of the waitress. He looked a little younger than Brian, but his face immediately contorted at the sight of Riley and Serena. Moving forward, he rapped the counter in front of Brian, who broke off from what he was saying to fix him with a slightly offended questioning stare. "Excuse me sir, but you can't have your Pokémon out here."

Contentedness suddenly leaving him, Riley ducked his head submissively and started to stand up, complying with the order.

"No, Riley, sit down." Brian stopped him, staring at the boy instead of the Lucario. A look of anger flashed across the boy's face at this, and he moved to say something when Brian moved. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, fixing the boy with an unconvinced glare. "Since when?"

The boy leaned back slightly in surprise. "Since when has it ever been okay to have your animals out in an area reserved for humans?"

One of Brian's eyebrows slowly raised. Riley noted with growing apprehension how tense he suddenly was. "This is certainly news to me. But disregarding that, why? They're buying your food, they're not creating a disturbance, what's the problem?"

The boy laughed in response. "Oh, please sir, don't talk about them like they're actually patrons."

Oh dear. Here we go. Looks like we've a human supremacist on our hands. Joy. Riley straightened at the sudden voice in his head and turned to see Serena glancing at him. She shook her head slightly, smiling grimly. Frowning in confusion, he turned back to watch the confrontation.

Brian was sitting up straight now, his glare piercing. "I don't even know how to argue with logic that flawed." he said carefully. "But regardless, I've had my Pokémon eat with me here plenty of times before and never had a problem. And come to think of it, I don't even recognize you."

The boy leaned forward and planted his hands on the bar. "I'm new. But regardless of logic, I'm the employee here, I decide what happens in this establishment." he said venomously, obviously beginning to get frustrated with Brian's rebellious attitude. "Now sir, I'm going to ask you again to return your Pokémon to their PokéBalls. Now."

A sharp laugh came from Brian and he threw a hand into the air. "You're new, but you make the- oh lord." He sat back again. "I'd love to, but I don't seem to have them on me."

"Then you'll just have to ask them to wait outside while YOU finish YOUR meal."

Before Brian could respond, Serena's voice was suddenly psychically projected. Why don't you stop talking about us like we're not here and ask us yourself? Now there's an idea! The boy looked around in surprise before locking his still shocked gaze on Serena. She quickly raised her eyebrows at him. Hm?

Riley saw that Brian was smiling at her now, the tension alleviated by her interruption. The boy opened his mouth before closing it again, finally raising a finger to point at her. "Y-You can't talk to me that way. You're just a Pokémon." He finally said.

Serena cocked her head. Really? I had no idea. And... why is that a problem?

The boy went through the loop of opening his mouth and closing it again before turning back to Brian. Having a Pokémon suddenly talking to him was obviously an incredibly offputting experience for him. "Tell your Pokémon to show some respect." he said, straining to regain control of the situation.

See, you just did it again. I'm sitting right here, you really don't need to keep referring to me in the third person.

"I'm not going to talk straight to you!" he finally burst out, pointing at her while still determinedly looking at Brian. He only received an amused look in response.

And whyever not? Do you think you're better than me or something?

"Yes! Yes I do! I'm a human, and you're a Pokémon, of course I'm better than you!" he said, quickly losing the meager control he had regained.

Riley heard a soft "Ah," come from Brian.

Really. You're better than me. Serena said dryly, crossing her own arms. Yeah, I guess I can see that. She idly waved a hand, her eyes softly glowing. Riley found himself smiling at the boy's jump of surprise as the salt and pepper shakers spaced along the bar rose into the air and started performing a midair dance with each other. I mean, yeah, really. Psychic powers, who wants those? Furrowing her brow in mock consideration, she shook her head and set the condiments down again. Nah. By the way, I'm also really impressed with your demonstration of how much more intelligent than me you are, too. Riley had to hold back laughter as he watched the boy struggling to respond. He knew that they were actually being pretty mean to him, but he had asked for it. If anyone deserved this treatment, it was a supremacist like him. Riley, quick, I'm only broadcasting to you right now. Say something out loud with your Aura. came Serena's voice. Surprised at his inclusion in the scheme, Riley looked at her in question. She was still cooly smiling at the boy, but Brian was looking encouragingly at him.

Frowning in concentration, Riley started focusing. He had never been very good with manipulating the Aura all Lucarios innately possessed, but he was sure he could manage a word or two. Soft pulses of purple energy began to float in the air around his paws as he straightened and opened his mouth. "She's... right, you know. You're..." he said in a slightly shaking voice. He trailed off to focus on the next word, as he was especially loose with the longer ones. Screwing up his face, he finally got it out. "...impressive!" He grinned in triumph at the now thoroughly discouraged boy.

That did it for him. Having one of them come and speak directly to him, in his own language? He had no comeback. Luckily, he was saved from having to think one up by the emergence of the waitress from the back again. "Frank? When did you get here? You know you're not on serving duty yet, you're supposed to be in the back." she said, staring at him quizzically.

He leaped at the chance to get himself out of the situation. "Kati, tell him he can't have his Pokémon out here. Tell him to put them away, now!"

She frowned at him in confusion before a look of realization hit her and she shook her head. "What? Tell him put away his...? Oh. You're not harping on the Pokémon are inferior thread again, are you? Come on, Frank, you know this Café is fully supportive of all Pokémon. There's even a battlefield out back for customers who feel so inclined!" She shook her head again at the boy, who had realized no help would be coming from her. "Sal will be hearing about this, I hope you know that." She turned to Brian, smiling apologetically. "I'm so sorry for any trouble he may have caused you. He hasn't learned yet that his stupid human supremacist views don't have a place here. Please, finish your meal. It'll be on the house this time."

Brian made to stand up, and Riley and Serena followed suit. "Nah, we've had our fill. And don't worry about the bill, I don't mind paying." he said, pulling out some money and tossing it onto the table. Riley noted that it was significantly more than their order had cost. Brian turned to face the boy, Frank. "So, my Pokémon can talk. Howabout that. I'm sure you have some Pokémon of your own, why don't you see what they have to say? I'm sure you could learn a bit from them." He turned around and gestured for them to follow him as the boy's hand shot to his belt, where Riley was sure he had his own PokéBalls stored.

As Brian swung the front door open, Riley could see that the temporary clearness of the morning had vanished and the rain that had been pervading the atmosphere had returned. Brian turned to look at Serena and offered his arm. "If you will?" He glanced at Riley and jerked his head for him to get closer to them.

With pleasure. Serena said, taking the proffered arm. As Riley stepped closer to them, she waved her hand and a green shield of psychic energy wrapped around them to block the rain. Serena accentuated the popping noise the shield's formation made, and Riley glanced over his shoulder to see the boy flinch again as they started out.

As they walked down Solaceon's central road, Riley sped up to walk beside Serena. (That was so much fun! You sure put him in his place!) he said, grinning at them.

Serena tilted her head to smile at him. Yeah? We did good?

"I'll say." Brian said, still looking forward. "He needed someone to knock him down a peg. People like him are despicable. Pokémon are a vital part of our lives, supremacists would do well to learn that. Hell, I wouldn't hesitate to say you guys are better than we'll ever be." he said, looking at them. "I'd say he doesn't deserve to raise a Pokémon of his own, but everyone deserves to experience it. Like I said before, Pokémon are family."

The three of them fell into silence at that, Riley again deep in thought. Serena peered at him curiously before finally speaking. (You look like you have something to say, Riley. Go on, I'll block translations to Brian for a bit.)

Riley frowned before starting. (It's just... I've never met someone this into rights for us. I mean, Ross treats me like family, treats ALL of us like family, but he's never actually gone against other people about it.)

(Hmm.) Serena said, casually staring forward. (I hope you don't think Brian was too aggressive about it back there. He just cares that strongly about us. Even you. Despite only knowing you for barely a day, he still only wants the best for you. To see someone try and remove the rights he treats us with daily, it gets to him. He doesn't want to see us mistreated.)

(But there are so many Pokémon on your ranch, surely he can't watch over and give the same treatment to ALL of them?)

(Ah, that's where you'd be surprised. He takes time out from his day to meet with every single registered resident, to make sure they're getting everything they need and are happy.) she responded.

Riley gaped at her in amazement. (Every single one? Really? That's incredible!) he looked forward again, still amazed. (Wow. And he wants all of you to be treated the same as humans?)

(Better, even.)

Riley fell quiet again at that. The scope of the task was too big for him to fully comprehend. (But... this morning, I saw him HIT a Pokémon. That Hydreigon...?)

Serena grimaced. (Salazar's a... special case. Let's just say that still falls under that realm of treating us like humans, only in the more negative aspects. Whatever you may think, whatever you saw, Salazar DEFINITELY had it coming, and probably much more than he got, too.)

(...Huh.) Riley said, not sure sure how to respond to that. He quietly fell back into his thoughts, and soon he found himself straying back to past events in his life. (...I wish more trainers thought like this.) he said quietly.

(Don't we all. But hey, we try our best to get the word out. Preferably not like that back there, but it all depends on how welcoming of outside opinions the other person is, right?) Serena said, shrugging and smiling at him. Riley found himself smiling back, the Gardevoir doing a good job of dispelling his depressing thoughts. He couldn't wait to get back to ranch and tell Steffi all about his eventful morning now.

Brian noticed her movement, however. "Hey, what're you two talking about over there?" he said good-naturedly.

Us? Whatever could you be talking about? Serena said, transmitting to Brian again with exaggerated innocence. The group fell into laughter again as they continued home.

Maybe things weren't so different here after all.

It wasn't long before Riley found himself taking notice of their interwoven arms, however.

(So... are you SURE you two aren't in a rel-)

(NO.)


	10. Batrachophobia

*A/N* This chapter and its successor required some major editing, so I apologize for the delay . FYI, the song Riley begins singing to himself is 'Reach Out" by Cheap Trick, a personal favorite of mine. Not to mention it fits Riley, and the story… Wow I wrote a lot. Enjoy! *A/N* As the sky became brighter, Skyline Ranch became more lively. Pokemon all over were beginning to wake up and socialize. Steffi, who had fallen asleep in the cafeteria to avoid the downpour, quietly slipped outside and frowned at the perpetual rain. Speed walking, she hurried up the quickly becoming muddy path to the ranch house. The events of last night knocked back and forth in her brain. (We're more than friends now.) she thought. (And that's a good thing. Right?) Riley was indeed pleasant to be around. But at the same time, she felt as though a relationship would muddy the waters of their friendship. So… why did she say yes? Many answers to this hypothesis materialized, but only one jumped out at her. She knew perfectly well what the answer was, and frankly, she didn't want to think about it. To keep her mind off of it, she began mapping out a plan for the day. "Okay then. We need to do a little more research before we resort to… that answer. So, in order to gather some data, so to speak, I'll just have to make plans with Riley again tonight." She spoke under her breath to herself as she formulated her little 'experiment.' Now a little more satisfied, she stepped up onto the porch and began drying her talons on the wiry doormat. "Come on, shush…" Steffi straightened as she heard a soft whisper. Brows knit, she strode over to the left railing where she heard the noise. "Be quiet! I think she heard us!" Steffi instantly recognized the voice and placed a hand on her hip. "Jake! Get out from under there!" "Aww, man!" The Raichu wriggled his way out from under the porch with a crestfallen look on his face. "Who else?" Steffi asked sternly. On cue, a Zorua squirmed free from the claustrophobic space beneath the porch. The children stood at attention, staring up at the tall, irritated Blaziken with a shared defeated look in their eyes. "Dare I ask why you two were under there?" Steffi asked, crossing her arms on the railing. The children thought for a moment. "I-er…" "I-I dropped something! And-and it rolled under there!" Lukas said, triumphant that he managed to think of an excuse. Steffi's glasses flashed with mischief. "You know, it would be such a shame if Serena found out who trashed the foyer last Wednesday…" The duo stiffened, exchanged fearful looks, and simultaneously gave in. "We were hired to spy on you." Lukas said reluctantly. "Oh? Who 'hired' you?" Jake clenched his paws. "No, we aren't gonna tell you that. Go and snitch on us, we're not scared." Jake said, puffing out his small chest in pride. Lukas faltered, then attempted to do the same. Steffi placed her chin on her right talon and smirked. "Are you sure? Because I think Serena said if she caught you two messing around again, she'd get Salazar." Jake's expression blew out faster than a light bulb. After biting his lip, he uttered "Stevie." Steffi pinched the bridge of her beak in exasperation. "Did she say why?" she asked. "She wanted to know about some guy named Ryan." Lukas confessed. "She knew you wouldn't say anything to her, and you talk out loud a lot." Jake finished. Steffi's expression became severe. "…What did you hear me say?" she said, her voice quiet. "Eep! Nothing, we didn't hear anything! Honest!" Lukas squeaked. "Promise?" Steffi asked, leaning in closer. "Yeah! That's why our cover got blown, Lukas said he couldn't hear anything!" Jake exclaimed, pointing. "Hey! Did not!" "Did TOO!" "Kids!" The two stopped arguing, but glared at each other. Steffi adjusted her glasses and leaned away from the railing. "Listen. I want you to go back to your 'employer' and tell her that her sister's got an eye on her. Capice?" Jake and Lukas nodded furiously. "Uh huh!" "Yeah!" Jake suddenly grew concerned. "Wait. You aren't gonna tell on us, are you?" Steffi gave the kids one of her rare smiles and winked. "Your secret is safe with me. Now go clean yourselves up and find Stevie." The two youngsters smiled broadly, pleased that they got off so easy, and turned to leave. Steffi entered the ranch house, and, walking quietly as to not wake Riley, who she assumed to be in bed, entered the library. Sighing, she thought to herself about the next book she could pick. Since the last one was such a bore, she wanted to pick something different. Her eyes scanned the shelves, but they screeched to a halt at the Romance section. The longer she stared, the more a strange warmth began to spread throughout her. She then shook herself free of the sensation and scoffed. "Not a chance." She removed The Man in The Iron Mask from the shelf, plopped down in her favorite armchair, and began to read. "Looks like we beat the breakfast rush." Brian said. The two Pokemon and one human arrived back at the ranch in time to witness a large crowd of Pokemon filtering into the cafeteria building. (You're lucky you missed the mob, Riley. It's always the worst in the morning.) Serena said to Riley. Riley was indeed relieved he didn't have to go into the cafeteria. Crowds, combined with his fear of being touched, were a one way ticket to a panic attack. Riley's thoughts were cut short by a small, high pitched tittering noise. "Don't worry, it's just my cellphone." Brian assured after Riley jumped. Brian removed his phone and switched on the screen. His cheerful expression gradually morphed into one of frustration. "You have GOT to be kidding…" Serena looked over his shoulder, and had a similar reaction. (Oh, for- again?!) she exclaimed. Riley, unnerved, took a few steps backward, accidently stepping out of the protective shield and directly into the rain. Brian gave Riley an apologetic expression before pocketing his cell phone. "Riley, I'm sorry, but I have to go. Delta crashed the computer system again." "Delta?" "My Porygon Z. He managed to download himself as a program on my PC." Riley raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What? How?" Brian shrugged. "I haven't the slightest idea. In fact, neither does he. But I'll have Serena teleport you back to the house, kay?" Riley shook his head politely. "Thanks, but I kind of want to walk. I need the exercise." "You sure? It's gonna start pouring again soon." "Oh, don't worry, I'll be fine." "Well, alright. Come see me if you need anything." And with a brief burst of light, the two were gone. Now alone, Riley sighed with relief. He greatly enjoyed himself, and Brian and Serena were wonderful people, but having to stand so close to them was very uncomfortable. Besides, he really was enjoying the cool weather, and wanted to stay outside a little longer. He began to walk down the path to the house. "No one's going to give it away…" Riley's good mood began overflowing out of him in the form of song. He thought about what he could do with Steffi today. Immediately, advice from Ross popped into his head; "The way to a woman's heart is through the silver screen." Riley wasn't really a film aficionado, but he recalled how much fun it was to watch scary movies with Ross and Kane. His mind made up, he grinned and continued singing. "Don't be afraid to drive the nail in the wood, or dr-" Riley froze. The female Toxicroak from before was advancing towards him. Riley was pleased now that he had a chance to redeem himself. He walked shyly towards her. "Hello. Er… Janet, right?" he called out to her. She stopped walking. "Listen, I'm really sorry about that outburst with Mara. I was very nervous, and I get really impulsive." Janet raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" "Yes, and I just wanted to apologize and make it up to you." Riley finished, satisfied with his apology. Janet took a few steps forward, close enough that Riley could see her throat sac slightly bulge and contract. "You want to make it up to me?" she said quietly. "Yes. In any way possible." Riley's timid smile vanished when Janet placed her claws onto his shoulders. "Wha-" Before he could speak, Janet shoved him backward with all her strength. Riley exclaimed and fell onto his back, coating his thin fur in moisture and wet dirt. Janet then knelt down and poked him with a claw. "Drop dead." Riley's eyes widened. A mix of hurt, anger, and confusion filled his stomach. "How- how could you say that?" Riley whimpered. "I know the difference between a Pokemon and a waste of good muscle like you." Riley's eyes widened. His eyes began to sting. "You-but-I" "You know what, don't talk. I'm tired of hearing you whine like a schoolgirl." Janet seemed to be relishing Riley's pain, grinning with every insult. "Now, why don't I go tell Steffi that her new boy toy started sniveling at my feet the second I touched him, or how about-" Janet's expression turned to one of shock as she was forcefully pushed, somersaulting backwards. Riley had shoved her off, and he wore a fierce expression. Janet, pleasantly surprised, smirked. "Well then, I guess you do want to fight after all." Riley bared his razor-like teeth. "Come on then, tough guy." Janet spread her arms, leaving herself defenseless. "Do it. Hit me. I dare you." Riley's expression softened, and he stepped backwards. After a long pause, Janet crossed her arms in triumph. "I knew you wouldn't do it. And you know why?" "Quit while you're ahead." Riley felt a surge of shock up his spine at the familiar voice behind him. Duster, the Krookodile, had reappeared, standing at Riley's shoulder with a cold expression. "She isn't worth your attention." Duster said, directing his comment at Riley. Janet frowned. "Hey, this doesn't have anything to do with you, pea brain. Why don't you go practice your ABC's or something?" she spat. "You're one to talk. I saw you rip the cover off of Steffi's book yesterday. It figures, what you can't understand, you break." Duster said back, not raising his voice. Janet smirked. "So you saw that. That was more directed at him," Janet pointed to Riley, "But whatever. She deserves it for being-" "SHUT UP!" Riley shouted without thinking. Janet put on a look of mock fear. "Uh oh, he's gettin' mad. Good thing all I have to do is touch him." Janet placed extra emphasis on the last two words. Duster stepped between the two of them. "You keep running that fat mouth of yours and see what happens, bitch." he said icily. Janet scoffed, but she knew she was no match for Duster. He towered over her in terms of size and skill, even if he had the IQ of a tree. She turned to Riley and made a throat-slashing motion. "You watch your back, wimp. I'll be watching you." Riley glared at her. "I'll be waiting." he said. He hoped he sounded threatening enough, he was letting his anger talk, not his conscience, which, at the moment, was quaking with fear. Janet grinned, then turned and sauntered away. Riley waited until she was out of earshot, before speaking up. "Thank you." "Yeah, whatever." Duster uttered, still staring at Janet. "You want breakfast or something?" he said after a pause. "I just had some, but thanks for offering." "Mmm." Duster said shortly. "She acts tough, but she's nothing special. You've got nothing to worry about but empty threats." Riley smiled feebly. 


	11. Doxophobia

Rain crept down the crevices of Morgan's back as he severed the tip of one of his new cigars. The Aggron sat in one of the usual spots by the boulder, chewing on his mineral infused breakfast and gazing out over the fields. Aside from a few Water Types who were out enjoying the weather, the property was fairly deserted. Morgan swallowed his food and began striking his nails together. The boulder was too damp to get a spark off of, so he had to light his stogie the old fashioned way. After a few failed attempts, one of which included him accidentally prodding the soft flesh under his nail, he gave up trying. To his pleasure, he saw Stevie coming towards him. He raised a claw in the air to wave at her.

"Pepper! Just the type I'm looking for!" he bellowed welcomingly.

Stevie didn't respond, and when she got closer to him, he noticed the sour expression on her face.

"What's with you?" Morgan inquired, standing up.

Stevie frowned up at the Aggron.

"My sister, that's what." she uttered back.

Morgan leaned down and presented her with his cigar. "Lend me a light, will you?" he said, seemingly ignoring Stevie's complaint. The Blaziken glared and snatched the narcotic out of Morgan's claw. Holding it upright, she concentrated her stare onto the cut end until it erupted into flames.

"Easy, those are imported!" Morgan protested.

Stevie shook the fire away before handing it back to Morgan. Morgan placed it in his jaw. "What'd Salt do this time?" Stevie sat herself down on the boulder and crossed her arms. "Nothing. You wouldn't care."

"I probably won't, but tell me anyway." Morgan retorted.

"Steffi's avoiding me on purpose." Stevie said, her voice soft. Morgan exhaled some smoke.

"Maybe it's not your business."

Stevie grunted with frustration. "But THIS is! She's making a big decision in her life and completely shutting me out of it! I'm her sister, for Arceus' sake, I should be the first to know!"

Stevie then buried her face in her talons and exclaimed "GOOOOD!" in anger. Morgan raised an eyebrow, puffing rhythmically on his cigar. "What's she doing?" he asked, his voice a little less gruff. Stevie removed her face from its shelter.

"Do you remember that Lucario you met yesterday?"

"What, that weird kid? What about him?"

Stevie looked away in mild humiliation. "Steffi's dating him."

Morgan swiftly removed his cigar and gave an amazed smile.

"Are you kidding? Him?"

"Yeah. I talked her into it."

"Why? Look, I'm not trying to be Character Judge 101 here, but this guy doesn't really seem like a solid personality."

"Look, it was a spur of the moment thing, okay? I just told her to give him a shot, but here she goes, dating him last night and planning to do it again today." Morgan gave a puzzled look.

"I thought you said that she wouldn't talk to you about it."

"I squeezed some info out of Jake and Lukas. They followed her for a bit and got caught, but they lied to get away and told me her plans."

Morgan stuck the cigar back in his mouth.

"No wonder she doesn't want to talk to you." he scoffed.

"She wouldn't tell me last night either. And get this. I heard that Serena told Alicia, who told Zoey, who told Shannon, who told me that Riley has some serious issues."

"Big surprise." Morgan drawled.

"It was something to do with touching, or something. I gotta hear it from Steffi that Riley hasn't done anything weird, if something happened to her, not only would it be my fault, but everybody would hate me!"

Morgan sat silent for a moment. "Why don't we try another method?"

"Sure, like what? Steffi's unbreakable. I've almost resorted to Water Torture."

"Who said anything about Salt? Let's see for ourselves."

Stevie gave an exasperated look to the Aggron. "Yeah, sure. What should I say? 'Hiya Riley, I was just wondering if you were ever put into an asylum in the past few years?'"

Morgan took a draw on his cigar. "Don't act stupid. We'll just have to talk to him a little bit, get him in good with us. Then, we'll see if he's crazy or just weird."

Stevie thought for a good half of a minute, then took a heavy breath and sighed deeply.

"Fine. But how can we find him?"

Morgan grinned and pointed a talon to the dark grey sky above. "Go airborne."

"Thanks again for chasing her away, Duster." Riley said.

"Mmm."

Riley was more than a little shaken after the entire ordeal with Janet. He couldn't understand why someone would be so cruel to a stranger.

"Hey, uh, Duster?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is she so angry all the time?"

Duster shrugged. "Search me. She's like that to pretty much everyone."

"Why?"

"She's just a bitch, I guess."

Riley didn't have a response to that.

"So… how are things with you and your girlfriend?" Duster inquired.

Riley's heart skipped at the mention of the word 'girlfriend.'

"Oh, we-I, well I um… we're not 'like that'" Riley stammered diffidently.

Duster gave Riley a disbelieving half-smile. "Right. Sure. Seriously, though. You guys done anything yet?"

Riley's face went completely scarlet. "Wh-wh-what are y-you…"

"No, I didn't mean THAT. I mean, made more plans, hugged or kissed, anything like that?"

"Oh. Um, no. I mean, maybe. I think." Riley had to admit he felt light-headed at the thought of kissing Steffi. Even so much as imagining touching her made him a bit giddy.

"You think? Did you even talk at all?"

"Well, yes, but, I mean, not about stuff like that." Riley stammered.

"You don't have much drive, do you?" Duster said.

Riley frowned and furrowed his brow. "What do you mean by that?"

"It ain't a bad thing. You're just not in a hurry to get physical. That's what gets most guys going these days. And, when you got someone with a body that good, it's just a weird thing to hear. I respect that."

Riley was struck dumb. He hadn't expected that eloquent of a response from a Krookodile that was normally so gruff.

"…Thanks, I guess." Riley said after a few beats.

"We're here."

Riley had been so lost in his conversation with Duster that he failed to notice where he was. The House had crept up faster than he expected.

"Oh, wow. We ARE here."

Duster turned to leave. "Keep your eyes open for Janet. If you want me full time, you're gonna have to pay me." Duster smirked.

Riley laughed at his joke, but his smile was cut short when he saw a shadow fall over Duster. Quicker than he could react, a Flygon had landed right next to him.

"Hey Duster, I'm looking for a Lucario named Riley. Have you seen him?" The Flygon said, failing to notice a petrified Riley next to her, accidently letting one of her wings drape over him.

"A-aaahh!" Riley yelped, instinctively tossing her wing off of him like it was an angry Arbok.

Penny jumped and turned sharply, seeing Riley, wide-eyed and swiftly side-stepping away from her.

"Oh, hi. My name is… are you Riley?" she inquired.

"Wh-wha-well-I…" Riley spluttered.

"Woah, relax. I'm not gonna eat you." Penny said, laughing nervously.

"N-no, it isn't, I-I, oh God."

Riley was completely overwhelmed, he could barely speak. Fear, coupled with embarrassment, turned his tongue to jelly.

Duster stepped forward. "What's with you?" he asked, extending a claw in the Lucario's direction.

"NO! No, please!" Riley shouted, ducking away from the incoming touch. Duster withdrew his claw out of shock.

Riley tried to speak, but he couldn't get any words out. He simply exhaled weakly, turned, and hurried into the house.

"What did I do?!" Penny exclaimed.

Duster stared at the door for a few moments, then turned to the Flygon.

"I dunno, but… leave him be."

The door to the ranch house foyer burst open with a crash as Riley bolted through it. Completely out of breath, Riley collapsed onto a couch. After taking a moment to calm his lungs down, he slowly bowed his head into his paws. What had he done? He just threw whatever social graces he had out the window, just because someone had touched him, and ran away. Again. He embarrassed himself, and it was all his fault.

"It's not fair… it…it…"

Riley felt a single hot tear leak from eye, travel down his muzzle, and come to a rest on the end of his coal black nose.

"Why..?"

Riley squeezed his eyes shut, shuddered deeply, and began sobbing.

He didn't notice a young, pretty Gardevoir who had emerged from the kitchen to investigate the racket. Serena hurried over to Riley's side and knelt down to his level.

(Riley? What's wrong? Why are you crying?) she asked, mortified.

The Lucario turned away from her.

(Did something happen?)

"D-don't lu-look at me." Riley spoke as best he could.

Serena hesitated putting a hand on his shoulder and contacted Brian.

(Brian?)

(What's up?)

(You need to come up here, there's something wrong with Riley.)

(What? Is he hurt?)

(No, but he's crying really hard.)

(…I'll be right there.)

"D-don't…" Riley stammered, stifling hitched breaths.

(Relax, Ry. Everything's going to be okay.) Serena said warmly.

As a personal thought, she added, (I hope.)


	12. Dystychiphobia (Kao1214)

Stevie paced back and forth, her talons steadily mashing the wet dirt beneath them into mud. Arms firmly crossed and brow furrowed, she stared ahead and down at nothing in particular, trying to think of just what she was going to say to Riley when Penny brought him back. She was quickly becoming more and more frustrated at the situation her big mouth had landed her in, and the rain was not helping to ease the tension.

Off to the side, Morgan glanced over as she paused in her trek to let out a combination of a wail and groan of exasperation. He rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning his attention back to keeping his cigar dry and lit. (You might as well cool your jets and sit your ass down, Pepper, or you're gonna wind up covered in mud as well as rain. We both know how enjoyable THAT'D make your company.) He paused for a second, as if in thought. (Though on second thought, the idea of you covered in mud isn't that bad.) he chuckled.

(Shut it, Rock Head.) Stevie snapped. (Just because this was your idea doesn't mean I don't reserve the right to pound you.)

(Hey now,) Morgan started. (you ain't allowed to call me that. Only Penny gets away with-) He was cut off by a sudden gust of wind heralding an airborne visitor. Looking up, Morgan broke into a grin. (Well now, speak of the devil and she will appear.)

(Ugh, FINALLY.) Stevie groaned as she came to stand beside him, one talon still tapping impatiently.

(Ahoy, Dragonfly!) Morgan called as the Flygon began to come in for a landing. (How goes the mission?) His grin began to slide off his face when he saw that Penny was alone, and turned into a small frown upon seeing how distraught she looked. (Everything okay, Dragonfly? I notice a distinct lack of Razorface on your back.)

(I don't know what happened.) Penny said, coming over to them. (I told him that you He completely freaked out. I did my best to calm him down, but he bolted on me!) She bowed her neck to rest her head on the ground. (I mean, did I do something wrong? I don't get it!)

Morgan shook his head. (Nah, sounds like the problem's his. I TOLD you he was off.) He turned to Stevie. (Well, there goes that plan, Pep- huh?) He paused when he saw that Stevie was stomping away from them towards the ranch house. (Hey, where do you think you're going?) he called after her.

(I'm sick and tired of everyone avoiding me!) she yelled back. (I don't care what it takes, Steffi's talking to me! Now!)

Groaning, Morgan rolled his head around his neck and stopped, staring up into the rain with his eyes closed. (Oh, for the love of God. Would you just calm down? Why do you care so much? You were the one who suggested they get together, shouldn't you be happy that they ARE?)

Stevie paused for a second in her trek before shaking her head and continuing on, giving no other response. Morgan shook his head again and grunted, returning to his cigar. Beside him, Penny raised her head, staring after the Blaziken. (I don't think I like where this is going.) she said apprehensively.

(Nah. Nah, it's probably not going to end well.) Morgan sighed and took a pull on his cigar. (I'd wager you're exactly right.)

Brian burst through the front door of the house and skidded to a stop. "Serena? Riley?" he called.

Over here, the hallway. he heard the Gardevoir say telepathically. Following the slight mental tug of their rapport, he jogged through the house until he found them. Riley was huddled in an armchair, sobbing, while Serena was crouched down next to him, obviously trying to figure out what she should do. She looked up with obvious relief when Brian entered the hallway.

Not wasting any time, he crouched down next to the shaking form of the Lucario. "Riley, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked, hands hovering by Riley's shoulders.

(Stop...) the low moan came.

Frowning, Brian glanced around. "Okay, come on Serena. Let's get him out here. This is no place to talk. Riley, can you walk?" he asked. He was only greeted with another sob. Grimacing, Brian paused for a second before leaning in to Riley, arms stretching out. Serena reached out to grab his arm.

Wait, what are you doing? We're not supposed to touch him, remember?

"I'm not just going to leave him here! He's distraught enough, everyone staring at him isn't going to help in the slightest. Just... be ready if something goes wrong." he replied. Staring at him in concern, Serena slowly let go of him and leaned back, turning back to Riley. Doing the same, Brian paused for second longer before wrapping one arm around Riley's shoulders and the other under his knees.

The change was almost instantaneous. Riley's body all of a sudden tensed in Brian's arms and his eyes widened. (No, no.) he whimpered. He began to struggle as Brian stood up, but the trainer only tightened his grip.

"It's okay Riley. I'm just going to take you to your room. That's all." he said soothingly, beginning down the hall.

(No, NO. STOP!) Riley said louder, beginning to writhe in Brian's arms.

"Riley! It's okay!" Brian said firmly, attempting to go faster despite the struggling Lucario in his arms. Serena hovered nervously behind them, not sure if she should step in or not.

Riley began to beat on Brian's arms, desperate to get away. (DON'T TOUCH ME!) he screamed. And before he realized what he was doing, he bit Brian's shoulder.

With a shout of pain, Brian sank to one knee, but kept his grip on Riley. Riley realized with a shock that he was tasting blood in his mouth. A wave of nausea swept over him as he realized that it wasn't his own.

Oh my God, Brian! Serena gasped, rushing over.

"No! Stop, it's okay!" Brian grunted. Riley had fallen completely silent and still after biting him. Through the haze of pain his shoulder was emitting, Brian did his best to examine the Lucario. "I'm... I'm fine. I'm more worried about Riley." he grunted again. Standing again, he readjusted his grip on the still Lucario to favor his now bad shoulder and began to hurry down the hall.

Upon reaching the guest room Riley had been staying in, Brian layed him down on the bed. Riley immediately rolled over to face the wall and brought his knees up to his chest. Brian shook his head. "I don't like this. Something is obviously wrong here."

Like the fact that you've been bleeding through the entire house? Suddenly Serena was at his shoulder, investigating the bite. The shirt he was wearing had been ripped, and blood trickled slowly from the wound.

Momentarily distracted, Brian pressed his hand to the wound, wincing slightly. "Serena, its fine. I've had worse anyway. Just get Alicia or Paula for me to check it out. I need to see if I can find Ross."

Steffi idly turned a page in her book before shifting slightly to get into a better position in the armchair. She stared at the book for a while longer before she realized she was only looking at the book, not actually reading it. Huffing in frustration, she shut the book and slumped down in the chair. Rolling her eyes, she tossed the book onto the large stack of them on the end table next to the chair. It had been this way all morning. She didn't know what it was, but she was finding it increasingly impossible to concentrate on anything today. At least, in terms of books. There was one thing that was remaining frustratingly easy to concentrate on.

Heaving a sigh, she leaned forward and removed her glasses, covering her face in her claws. What she needed now was a distraction, and she needed it bad.

As if happy to oblige, the door to the library suddenly burst open, banging against the wall. Jerking up in her seat, Steffi looked up to see Stevie storming towards her. Shock turning to annoyance, Steffi frowned at her sister. (Stevie? What do think you're doing? The whole point of a library is that it's QUIET.)

(We need to talk.) Stevie said, pointing a talon at her as she strode over.

Thinking back to the encounter with Jake and Lukas earlier this morning, Steffi's frown deepened and she nodded. (Yes, I suppose we do. Care to tell me why you've hired children to spy on me?)

(How else am I supposed to get anything out of you?) Steffi retorted, spreading her arms in frustration.

Steffi tilted her head in mock thought. (Hmm. Well, actually talking to me comes to mind.) She sat back in the chair and crossed her legs. (But at least you're doing it right now, so go ahead. What do you want?) she said, waving a hand at Stevie tiredly.

(I just-) Stevie started hotly before visibly restraining herself and taking a deep breath. (I just want to know what's going on with you and the new guy, Riley.)

A brief silence fell between them before Steffi raised an eyebrow. (Why?)

The expression of frustration took over Stevie's face again. (Because I'm your sister, Steffi! Your TWIN for God's sake! Or have you forgotten how important that is to me again?)

Steffi's expression softened for a second. (No, I haven't forgotten how special you'll always be to me...) Her face crumpled in anger again, though, as she stood up to stare Stevie in the eye. (But I also haven't forgotten what you did last time I found someone that made me feel like this.)

Words from years ago came flashing through her mind. (DAMMIT STEFFI, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE SMART ONE! WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GO AND MAKE ME HURT YOU LIKE THIS?)

Stevie didn't back down as Steffi put her small advantage in height to use. (That was for your own good, and I dare you to tell me otherwise.)

Steffi's beak worked for a second, but no sound came out. She spun away from her sister, clenching her fists. (Can't you just leave good enough alone?) She let out a laugh that had no humor in it. (Actually, go on. Tell me what you think about Riley. That's what all of this is leading up to, isn't it?)

(Actually, I was hoping you could do that.) Stevie said sternly, crossing her arms. (Because Penny just came back from an encounter with him acting as though he had just insulted her and her whole family.)

Her attention grabbed, Steffi spun back around. (He what...?) She paused for a second. (That's... that's not something he would do.)

(THEN WHAT WOULD HE DO!) Stevie burst out, flinging her arms wide. (I've been trying to find out more about him from both of you this whole time, and neither of you are giving me anything! Haven't you figured out yet that I'm not going to get off your back until you indulge me at least a LITTLE?)

Still concerned, Steffi began to respond before the doors to the library were flung wide again. This time, a Lopunny ran through them, looking terribly concerned.

(What... Shannon? Are you okay?) Stevie asked, looking at her in surprise as she ran up to them.

Shannon paused to catch her breath, obviously having been running for a while, before turning to Steffi. (Steffi, you need to come quickly! It's- it's Riley! There's been an accident!) she gasped out, staring at her desperately.

(What? What happened?) Steffi said sharply, her concern amplified.

(He...) Shannon paused and looked away, suddenly very nervous. (He... bit Brian.)

Steffi gasped in horror, covering her mouth, as Stevie jerked upright beside her. (He BIT him? With those teeth? Is he okay?) Stevie demanded.

(Yes, Brian's fine. It looks like Riley didn't bite him hard, but Paula's with him right now, patching him up.) Shannon turned to Steffi. (But it's Riley I'm more worried about. He hasn't said anything, or even moved since it happened.) She stared at the Blaziken in unmasked desperation. (Please, you have to try and help him!)

Stevie flashed a glare at Steffi before she ran out of the library to find Brian. (I gotta say, Steffi. I'm liking this guy less and less.)

Hesitating a second, Steffi glanced at Shannon before swallowing worriedly and running as best she could with her limp out of the library.

And all the while, in the back of her head, she did her best to ignore the split in her attention. A battle was commencing in her mind of the same cast in different settings. The story of her, Stevie, and love was happening again, and was starting to look just as disastrous.


	13. Aichmophobia

***A/N* This chapter finally reveals the main catalyst of Riley's phobia, along with the root of a good chunk of his turmoil. This Chapter may be a bit distressing towards younger viewers, so… read with caution, young ones. *A/N***

(Well, it looks like he did more damage to the shirt than your shoulder.)

Paula examined Brian's bite wound carefully.

(Does he need stitches?) Serena said worriedly. The Audino smiled and shook her head. (Naw, some disinfectant and a bandage will get the job done. I have to ask though, why'd this Lucario bite you?) Brian frowned.

(I, broke a few of his personal rules. I'm sure he didn't mean it.) Brian then straightened and snapped his fingers.

(Phone. I left my cell phone downstairs.) Serena nodded and went to go fetch it as Paula saturated a few cotton balls with antiseptic.

(This'll sting.) Paula said as she began dabbing Brian's cuts. Shannon was pacing about.

(I don't get it. Riley seemed so sweet when I first met him, why would he do something like this?)

(He is sweet, I just put him in an uncomfortable position, and he reacted too quickly. Have you checked on him?) Brian winced from the burn of the medicine on his shoulder.

(He hasn't budged. The twins are in there trying to talk to him.) Brian looked puzzled. (Stevie and Steffi? Why?)

(You didn't know? He's dating Steffi, it's all over the ranch.)

Brian's eyes widened incredulously, shocked that two of the most introverted Pokemon he had ever met were schmoozing, with each other no less. Serena materialized into the room holding Brian's cell phone.

(I already dialed his number, it's ringing.)

Brian took the phone and listened to the tuneless buzz of the searching signal until the voice he knew answered.

"Hullo?"

"Ross, it's Brian. Are you in the middle of something?"

"I just got out of the Safari Zone. Why, what's up?"

"It's Riley, he's having some sort of meltdown."

"What? What happened?"

"I don't know, but he won't talk to anyone. He bit me when I got him off the floor."

"You touched him?! Didn't I tell you that the number one rule with him is 'hands off?' You should have called me when you found him!"

Brian bit his lip.

"Look, I'm sorry. But you have to come over here ASAP before something happens."

There was a pause.

"Alright. Sophia and I will be over in a flash." Brian clapped his phone shut.

"I wish he'd teach Sophia Teleport, she is a Gardevoir after all, and it cuts down the travel time by-"

In a burst of light, a dark haired, pale eyed Gardevoir blipped into the room. She shook her head briefly and then grinned warmly at Brian.

(Hello, old friend.)

She grimaced at his wound.

(Did Riley do this?)

(Yeah, but it's nothing, where's Ross?) Sophia looked around the room and frowned.

(He should be here.)

On cue, a figure entered the house, dripping wet with rain and mud.

"Sophia. I love you, but you have GOT to work on your teleport."

Half an hour later…

Ross exited the guest room, looking forlorn. He was followed by the Blaziken Twins still glaring at each other.

"Well, is he talking?" Brian said, in a fresh shirt.

"Not really. He's gonna take a while to recover. The only thing he said was that he was sorry to you and Stephanie."

Brian smiled ruefully.

"Apology accepted. But there's one thing I don't understand. What caused this?"

Ross took a long sigh and collapsed into an armchair. "From what I can tell, he's flashing back to two years ago."

Brian leaned forward with interest.

"Yeah, that's been bothering me for a while now. What exactly happened?"

Ross paused and closed his eyes, as if in deep thought.

"This isn't a pleasant story, are you sure you want to hear this?" Brian nodded firmly.

"I'd have found out at some point anyway."

Ross let out another long sigh.

"Okay, here we go… Riley was adopted by a trainer named Harris Hardeman when he was a pup. He lived in a dingy part of Fallarbor Town, but he was a nice kid. Him and Riley trained hard together, they challenged a bunch of different trainers and all the gym leaders, but they couldn't get any past Fortree City. They got a pretty penny from all their prize money, and they went to The Battle Frontier and beat Spenser at the Battle Castle."

Brian smiled. "Impressive."

"While they were there, Harris met a girl named Cecilia something-or-other. She had this boyfriend named Craig. Real creep, you know the type, treated women like dirt, spent all his money on expensive shit, pardon my French, that he didn't need, he was a supremacist too, wore all the paraphernalia for it. Anyway, Harris met Cecilia at a time when Craig was going through one of his 'nasty' phases, and she was on the receiving end of more than one of his fits. Cecelia started seeing Harris behind Craig's back."

Brian groaned. "So much for Harris being a nice guy."

"If you met Craig, you'd take her into your arms too. Anyway, things went alright until the night that Riley beat Spenser. I think Craig found Cecilia's copy of Harris' hotel key or something like that. He locked her in the house, and he and one of his clansmen goons went to Harris' hotel room before he got back."

The occupants of the den were too transfixed on Ross' story to notice Riley peering out of his room. All at once, the memories of that terrible night came flooding back…

"Riley, we are the kings of the world!"

The trainer and his Pokemon were in the hallway to their hotel room, and Harris was still ecstatic an hour after Riley had defeated Spenser's Slaking and he received the silver Spirit Symbol on his Frontier Pass.

"Look at this! LOOK AT THIS! One of the hardest places on the entire island, done. And it was all you, buddy! All you!" Riley's face was stuck in a huge beaming smile, and he exclaimed "Lu-rio!"

Harris laughed as though he could understand him.

"Easy street here we come! Now come on, Ry, who's the man?"

"Lucario."

"I said, who's the man?!"

"Lucario!"

"WHO'S THE MAN?!"

"LUCARIO!"

"You're damn right!" Harris pulled Riley into a spine breaking hug.

"Oh, I am so proud of you!" Riley squirmed, less from discomfort and more from amusement. Harris let him go as they reached their room. Harris' smile flickered a little when he saw that the door was slightly ajar.

"Huh. I locked it this morning, must have been housekeeping." He kicked the door open with gusto and went inside, Riley following suit. Harris flicked the lights on and went to go put his Pass on the table. Halfway there, he froze.

Standing by the window was a scowling man, dressed in a leather jacket above a shirt that read "I AM HUMAN" and wearing tattered black pants with large boots. He had a shaved head, the only hair left was in a crude Mohawk, and a small silver earring on his right ear in the shape of a small human fist, and his hands were tucked into his jacket pockets.

Riley jumped when he heard the bathroom door open and whimpered when a huge, hatchet faced man in dress pants and a tie emerged, bearing an earring identical to his accomplice's. Riley immediately strafed away from him and over to Harris.

"What is this?" Harris said, all jubilation gone from his voice.

"Don't. You know what this is." the man in the leather jacket snarled. He began walking towards Harris.

"You must think I'm pretty fucking stupid, don't you? You think 'Craig won't notice, Cecilia and me can do whatever,' right?"

Harris was silent.

"Answer me!" Craig bellowed.

"We were going to up and tell you." Harris said quietly.

Craig stood about an inch taller than Harris, so he could look down at him.

"She's scared of you. You hit her. You're a bully to her." Harris said, standing his ground.

Craig's face began flushing.

"And you think that it's okay for you to screw her behind my back?" he whispered, his voice dangerously low.

"We aren't screwing, and I think that if she's too scared to tell you she doesn't love you anymore-"

Craig lunged, grabbing Harris by the neck.

"Ronald, now."

The huge man standing guard at the door was at Riley's side in two strides and he wrapped his meaty arm around him, trapping him in place. He used his free hand to remove a tube like object with the design of a Dragonair engraved into it, its eye a blue stone resembling a gem. Craig had forced Harris into a chair and removed a revolver from his pocket, and had it aimed at Harris' head.

"Now, here's what's gonna happen. First, I'm gonna make sure you and your lapdog remember my name, permanently. Then, we're gonna take that Pass of yours and collect the prize money. If any of you move, scream, or try any funny shit, I blow your brains across this island."

He then nodded at Ronald, who pressed the Dragonair's eye. With a click and a gleam of silver, a blade revealed itself. Riley gasped silently as the blade was pressed against his left cheek.

"No. You can't do this. Please." Harris pleaded under his breath.

"Shut it. You're lucky I don't just break his stupid mutt neck." Craig barked.

Riley felt the knife begin to cut into his face. His eyes welled up and he did his best not to shout in pain as Ronald neatly moved the knife in a curved motion.

"Stop it." Harris pleaded.

Craig just grinned. Riley nearly gagged at the smell of blood and metal, he strongly resisted the urge to use Aura. Harris, now completely distraught, seized his blond hair in horror and began silently crying.

A sudden noise filled the room, a knock at the door.

"Housekeeping?"

Craig looked away for a moment, and Harris had his chance. He seized Craig's gun wielding hand and attempted to pry it from his fingers. As the two fought for the firearm, the gun fired. The maid outside screamed and fled, but the bullet found its nest in Ronald's kneecap. The mammoth man collapsed backwards, dropping Riley.

"NOOOOO!" Craig screamed.

"Riley, go get help, go!" The Lucario sprinted for the door and flung it open , smashing a picture against the wall. He tore down the hallway for the stairs, his cheek still bleeding profusely from the half formed "C" Ronald carved there.

Serena had left the room as soon as the gun appeared in the story, Shannon sat in the corner, open mouthed, Stevie was staring blankly, and Steffi had her hands over her mouth.

"By the time Riley returned with the cops, Harris had beaten Craig to a pulp with the butt of his own gun and his goon had crawled out into the hallway. All three of them were eventually arrested. I was staying in the Hotel, and after the police let Riley go, I took him under my wing. I found him staring down a cliff."

Brian was pale. He removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I-I have nothing to say."

"I told you it was an unpleasant story."

Riley, fresh tears trickling down his face, slammed the door shut.

***A/N* Thus ends the tragic tale of Riley. Thanks to a suggestion by a reader of mine, Caltrop, I've decided human supremacists are essentially the Neo-Nazis of the Pokemon world. Another shout out to all our other fans, especially Silentshadow011, for reading this story and giving us our support. You all rock. *A/N***


	14. Autophobia

As morning turned into afternoon on Skyline, the rain became torrential, fogging the windows of the ranch house and whiting out everything within a seven foot radius from visibility. Brian had his Pokemon shepherded into the cafeteria by Shannon while he stayed with Ross, Sophia, Serena, and the Twins. Brian lay on the couch, hands tucked behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. The Twins hadn't spoken to one another since their argument in the library. Ross emerged from the guest room and sat in a chair opposite Brian.

"How's he doing?" Brian asked, sitting up gingerly to avoid aggravating his wound.

"Well, he's talking now, he apologized to you again."

Brian laughed shortly. "Once again, I forgive him. But what set him off? Is he going to be alright?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine, what he needs now is some friendly interaction and tonight to cool off. D'you have a Flygon on the ranch?"

"Yeah, her name's Penny. Why?" "He told me she set him off."

Brian scratched his head. "Penny? Really? She's a little haughty, but I didn't think she'd hurt anyone. I'll have to talk to her."

"No, it's not that. Unwanted and unintentional physical contact." Ross diagnosed. "I blame myself for his meltdown; it's not your fault at all."

(You know, her feelings are hurt pretty bad.) Stevie said, glaring at the guest room door.

(Stop it, Stevie. Don't make him feel worse.) Steffi said.

(I'll say whatever I damn well want against someone who hurt Brian!) Stevie snapped back.

(Hush, you two.) Sophia chided gently. Stevie narrowed her eyes at the dark haired Gardevoir, but sat silent.

"So, is this it? Does Riley need to go home?" Brian said after a long, awkward pause.

"Oh sheesh, no, he needs to make some friends. With everyone in here, it looks like there are a lot of people who care about him."

(Some more than others.) Stevie blurted out, gesturing to her twin with her head.

(What do you mean, honey?) Sophia inquired.

(Don't call me that. What I mean is, sister dear is a little more than friends with Riley.)

(Stevie, don't. Please.) Steffi said, feeling herself begin to blush. Ross and Sophia exchanged looks before turning to the voluptuous Blaziken now nervously shifting in her seat.

(Steffi, sweetie, are you and Riley romantically involved?) Sophia asked delicately, leaning in a little closer.

Steffi stared down at the floor. (I-well, I wouldn't say that…) she uttered meekly, Stevie quickly overturning the argument.

(Yeah, she would. She and him apparently hit it off pretty well. And the irony of it all? I convinced her. Big mistake, because he turned out to be a nut!)

"Stevie! Don't say that!" Brian scolded.

(Why not? It's the truth, no matter how you say it! Morgan was right all along, he's a basket case!)

Steffi stood up to confront her sister. (What are you doing, trying to embarrass everyone here? I don't understand why you're so angry at him for a supposed 'mistake' that you think YOU made!)

Stevie, instead of shouting back, softened her expression. (Why? Because I didn't want this to turn into another goddamn train wreck. That hurt me, and it hurt you. I wanted things to turn out right for you for once!) Her voice cracked in the middle of her sentence. She then turned round and threw the door open, and, giving a final hurt, almost pleading expression to her sister, she strode out into the downpour.

"I'm sorry, Steffi." Everyone in the room started at the sound of a fragile voice coming from the guest room. Riley's eyes were wet and puffy, and he was still sniffling slightly.

"Riley!" Steffi stood up and approached her friend.

"I heard what she said…" Riley said softly, wiping moisture away from his muzzle.

"Riley, she didn't mean all those things she said about you, she's overexcited."

"No, not that. She wanted things to turn out right for you."

Riley took a deep breath.

"If our relationship is causing you and the others this much stress, then I think it would be better if we broke up."

Those words were a dull blow to Steffi's chest. "W-what?"

"It wasn't going to work out anyway; I'm only here for a week. And you're too good for a crazy like me." Riley laughed emptily at the last statement.

(Riley, you're beating yourself up.) Sophia said.

"No, I've made my decision. I don't want to hurt anyone here, physically or emotionally. I'm sorry this happened, all of you. I'm going home." Riley gave an apologetic look to Brian and turned to walk to Ross, but a talon was extended to the wall, blocking his path.

"No." Steffi said quietly.

Riley, now filled with a fresh wave of fear, blinked. "I don't understand." he said.

Steffi looked into Riley's eyes.

"Riley. I'm not letting you walk out of my life just like that."

"But-"

"Don't interrupt. Just listen, okay? You are the first person in forever who has looked past my body and face to see who's inside. You like me for me."

Riley blushed hard.

"Don't you dare blame yourself for Stevie being upset, that's my fault, not yours. You've been nothing but a gentleman to me, and now you think it's okay to just cut the line on what appears to be the start of a beautiful relationship? No way, I won't let you."

Riley, awestruck at this act of affection, was at a loss for words. Steffi removed her glasses and wiped her eyes before sighing and regaining her composure.

"Now, you're not getting off scot-free, there are some things that need to be remedied." Steffi said firmly. "One. We need to show Stevie and the others that you're not out to hurt me. Two, and this is most important…" Steffi swiftly moved her arms around Riley and pulled him into an enveloping, but gentle hug.

Riley stiffened completely, all his pores went numb and his brain screamed in protest.

"We need to spend some more time together." she whispered softly. After she let him go, she turned to their audience, who were dumbstruck, and gave them an awkward smile.

(Don't stare. We all get overcome.)


	15. Pediaphobia

The torrential rain persisted as Ross and Sophia gathered their belongings to leave.

"Now, you're sure about Riley being alright?" Brian asked for the third time.

"Positive. Have him spend some time with Stephanie, and make him go get dinner from the cafeteria like usual. You still have to be assertive, no lone wolf stuff allowed."

(Thanks for everything, Ross. We're sorry this happened.) Serena apologized warmly.

"You're sorry? This is my fault, me being a dunderhead and forgetting to tell you about how delicate Riley can be. I should be apologizing to you."

"I think it's safe to say everybody made a mistake in this situation, so let's quit playing the blame game before rumors spread." Brian then gasped and clapped a hand to his forehead.

"Oh, crap! Stevie! She'll spill everything if we let her go."

(On it, Brian. Time to save your butt again.) Serena jostled. Her sense of humor had finally returned.

"Indeed." Brian sighed, playfully nudging Serena on the shoulder before she teleported away.

"We better follow suit, Brian." Ross said.

"Alright, hold on a second." Brian poked his head into the library where Riley and Steffi sat, Riley studying the flimsy remains of a novel.

"Riley, Ross is leaving."

Riley, eyes still a little red, nodded. Then, clenching them shut, he managed to speak. "Bye, Ross. Thanks."

"No problem, Tough Guy. Knock 'em dead." Ross called out in encouragement before the teleport flash.

Brian turned back to the two Pokemon in the library, donning a smirk. "So, you two hooked up, then? Can't say I saw it coming." he chortled, leaning his unwounded shoulder against the doorframe. "Would it be too much to ask how it happened?"

Steffi nodded sternly.

"Well, I saw THAT coming. But really, do you guys want to do anything? Like, I could get some food for you two to eat or…" Brian trailed off, not really knowing what to say.

"A-actually…" Riley said. "D-do…you have…any…movies?" He finally managed to force out, exhaling sharply.

"Yeah, definitely. What do you think, Steffi?"

Steffi shrugged.

"I'll take that as a yes. Come on out in the living room." The two Pokemon followed Brian into the room. Brian cracked his neck before kneeling down to the cupboard under the television.

"Take your pick."

Riley and Steffi looked over the set of DVDs inside before Riley removed one, handing it to Steffi. She laughed and showed it to Brian.

"Interesting choice." Brian said, chuckling as well.

"Taking a leaf out of Ross' book?" Riley smiled sheepishly.

"Alright, then. Night of The Living Dead it is."

The cafeteria was packed, for most of the ranch's Pokemon had to seek shelter to avoid the pouring rain, and it was close to lunchtime. A steady hum of chatter filled the gigantic room, rumors, gossip, banter, every variety of conversation could be found. Morgan had seated himself outdoors under the metal awning to avoid the noise, staring out at the grey fog. The rhythmic pattering of the rain as well as the soft light made his eyelids feel heavy. He realized he had smoked the last of his cigar, so he took aim and spat the stub into the grass.

"Three points…" he muttered to himself, chuckling at his own joke. He then adjusted his position to make himself more comfortable and closed his eyes. He dozed quietly for a few minutes, until there came a quiet tapping on his tail. He opened one eye and turned to look down at his rouser. A young Raichu stared back at him, craning his neck to get a view of his face.

"Mmph… what is it?" Morgan grumbled.

"Mister…uh, Morgan, uh…Sir." Jake said, fidgetting in place.

"What d'you want, Fluffy?" Morgan asked, adjusting his position again.

"I want to know where Stevie is." he said, a little miffed by his new nickname.

"Beats me. Why do you care?" Morgan said between a jaw-stretching yawn.

"She owes Lukas and me 25 poffins each." Jake said, losing his patience. "We did a real dangerous job for her, and we wanna get paid!"

"Dangerous job? Care to elaborate?" Morgan said with only a fraction of interest.

"Nope, that's a secret."

Morgan scoffed. "Whatever. Look, I'd say it's best to leave your 'hirer' alone, Fluffy. She's on the warpath about now. Girly issues, y'know."

Jake crossed his arms and scowled. "She promised us pay TODAY! It's not fair!" he cried.

"Kid, cool it. There's a little thing called patience. What do you need that many Poffins for anyway?"

"We need them as constellation. Serena's gonna find out we messed up the foyer, and we know she has a thing for candy, so we think this'll make her not mad at us."

Morgan grinned.

"What's so funny?" Jake asked. His ear twitched at the sound of a throat being cleared, and he turned to see his worst nightmare behind him.

"AYEE! Serena!" he screamed. He attempted to scamper away, but Serena grabbed him by the tail. With a flick of the wrist, Jake somersaulted in the air and Serena caught him at his rear, holding him upright.

"Serena! I'm sorry! We didn't mean to! Lukas did it!" Serena's eyes glowed with Psychic energy as she put her face very close to the Raichu's.

"Do…you…have…any…idea…how long it took me… to clean that godforsaken room?" she whispered, her voice dangerously quiet.

"I'm sorry! PLEASE don't tell Damien, he'll kill us!" The Gardevoir suddenly donned a malevolent grin.

"Oh, no. That would be far too light a punishment. You know what I'm going to make you do?" she crooned with a voice like poisoned honey.

"You wouldn't…" Jake gasped.

"Oh, I would. 8:00 tomorrow, sharp."

"No! No-ho, please! I'll do anything!"

"This is the 'anything' you'll have to do. Next time, think before you use attacks on furniture. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some fog I need to clear." Serena then dropped Jake on the ground and went into the cafeteria, muttering bitterly to herself. Jake had a look of pure horror plastered on his face.

"What did she make you do?" Morgan asked.

"…You don't want to know."

"Yeah, I kind of-"

"No, you don't. You do not want to know."

Barbara screamed in horror at the sight of a burnt corpse in the stairwell, its eye dangling from its socket with a face frozen in a silent scream.

"You'd think she'd be able to smell that body." Steffi said shortly while Riley gasped in shock. The two sat in front of the television, Steffi reclined on an easy chair and Riley sitting cross legged on the carpet.

"Pfft. She's trying way too hard to be scared." Steffi chided with a small chuckle.

"I think it's realistic." Riley quietly retorted. "I mean, how would you react to finding a skeleton in the house?" he asked.

"I wouldn't try to run out of the house, that's for sure, not with those zombies running around."

Riley smiled. "You're really practical."

Steffi blinked and looked down at the Lucario at her feet. "Thanks." she said, not quite sure how to respond.

"…Do you mind if I ask you something?" Riley inquired after a pause.

"Go ahead."

Riley paused the film and turned to face his friend. His heart began to thump faster against his chest.

"Did you really mean what you said before? Like, me being a nice person?" Riley asked diffidently, not making direct eye contact with Steffi.

"Riley, of course I did. That's a silly question." Steffi said.

"It's, well, it's just that we've only been on one date, and, we still don't know each other very well." "That's not true. Now I know what happened to you two years ago."

"Well, not entirely, but I think it's kind of, erm, unrealistic, I guess, that you would want to stay 'more than friends' after I bit your trainer and hurt your sister's feelings, and you still don't know me all that well, I thought that you'd think I was crazy."

Steffi adjusted her glasses and sat forward in her chair. "Riley, first of all, Stevie's got a really short fuse. She's not so angry at you as she is at me, because when I find someone that makes me feel…"

She paused, trying to find a suitable word. Riley looked up, slightly astonished.

"Well, like I feel about you, I tend to become very secretive and introverted. It's a major character flaw, and it's gotten me in trouble before."

"Oh. What happened?"

Steffi faltered and shifted uncomfortably. "A-another time, Riley. Anyway, I want to stay with you because… well, look at you. You're gentle. You're kind. You're very polite. You have a level of charm. And most of all, you're sincere. Trust me, I can tell the difference between someone pretending to be sensitive and someone like you. I may be socially impaired, but I can sniff out a red Remoraid like that a mile away. You're not a faker, you wanted to break up with me before when you found out about Stevie, right?"

"I guess…"

"Not only that, you had zero confidence when you asked me to a date. All I'm saying is, an actor wouldn't second guess why I want to be with him, he'd just try to softshoe his way under the sheets with me as soon as possible. It's happened before. Not only that, he wouldn't openly admit to have a fear of being touched if he wanted my body."

"Oh…"

"Also, I felt you tense up when I hugged you."

"Your feathers were really warm…" Riley's eyes widened after he realized what he just said, clapping a paw over his mouth.

"Yeah? Well, your fur is very svelte." Steffi said, giving Riley a small smile.

Riley began to blush like always.

"Thank you." he murmured sheepishly, his blush becoming noticeable behind his fur. "Can-er-can we, like, m-maybe try, er, again?" Riley stuttered.

Now it was Steffi's turn to blush. "Well…I suppose. Are you sure you can do this?" Riley nodded.

"Okay then. Come here." Steffi said as she stood up. Riley slowly got to his feet. He stared at Steffi. He wanted to. He couldn't disappoint her. All he had to do was put his arms around her. But then their chests would touch. And maybe their legs. Maybe even their faces.

"I can't do it." Riley said after a while. The hot, fuzzy feeling in his stomach escaped his body like a punctured balloon, in its place came cold disappointment.

"It's alright, Riley." Steffi said, giving him a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sorry. I'm a coward." he said, his head drooping.

"Oh, no you're not. You had the guts to ask me in the first place, remember? We already hugged anyway."

Riley gave her a small grin as well.

"Now, how about we watch this film?" Steffi exclaimed, plopping into the chair and crossing her legs. "Okay." Riley unpaused the television and sat back down on the carpet, a little closer to Steffi this time.


	16. Allodoxaphobia

***A/N* The first part of today's chapter is written by Kao1214. Enjoy, this is one of the beefier Chapters, it's almost three thousand words long! It also introduces a new character spoken about in the prologue, and one that I think is extremely fun to write for. Dig in. *A/N***

Serena paused in the entryway to the cafeteria after entering in from the rain. She gave a quick sigh, shoving the matter of Jake's punishment from her mind. She had more important matters to deal with now. Shaking her arms a bit to rid them of any leftover rainwater, she quickly scanned the masses of Pokémon gathered in the building for lunch, searching for the telltale coat of red feathers.

Her search was momentarily interrupted however, when she felt a quick psychic prod on her mind. Confused, Serena began glancing about her, trying to figure out where it had come from. When she felt it again, she was able to get a direction from it and turned to find another Gardevoir staring at her from the other side of the room. Serena paused in confusion, her previous search momentarily forgotten as she tried to figure out what was going on. (That's... Myra? What would she want with me?) she thought to herself. She gave a quick shake of her head and turned to break the older Gardevoir's stare. (No, I have more important things to worry about right now than an impromptu staring contest. I have to find Stevie before she-)

Her thoughts were cut off by yet another prod, more insistent this time. Serena gritted her teeth in frustration, refusing to turn back around as she continued to search for Stevie.

_I could always make it start hurting, if you really want. _an older, smoothly feminine voice intruded into her mind. Resisting the urge to scream at Myra to stop, that she was busy, Serena forced calm into her thoughts before replying telepathically.

Yes! Hello, Myra! I suppose you could, couldn't you? Now, is there anything I can help you with? I happen to be a bit busy at the moment.

Humor me.

Turning in confusion to look at Myra again, Serena saw her point to the chair across the table from her, and then beckon with one finger. Listen, Ms. Myra, I really don't have time for this. I'm looking for Stevie at the moment, and- Serena began with a sigh.

As am I. Come, sit, and tell me what is happening to this ranch and my team. Myra cut her off, pointing to the chair again. Running a hand through her hair in frustration, Serena exhaled before submitting and starting across the cafeteria.

She sat down heavily in the proffered chair and propped her head in one hand, gesturing with the other at Myra. (Okay, so... what would you like to know?)

Staring at the younger Gardevoir for a second longer, Myra turned to gaze at herself as she brushed a few specks of imaginary dust off of her arm before starting. (While I may not be as... INTEGRATED with this ranch as YOU are, I am no stranger to the rumors proliferating across its grounds concerning Steffi and a certain newcomer. However, that can wait a few minutes longer. What I am more concerned about at the moment is that while again, I am not as close to our trainer as YOU may be, I certainly did not miss the cry of pain his mind emitted earlier today, nor his subsequent, though temporary, distress.) She paused to fix her steady gaze on Serena again. (You and I both know he did not simply nick a finger while preparing lunch.)

Serena sighed and slumped back in the chair, not meeting Myra's eyes. So THAT'S what this was about. Myra made it no secret that she resented the fact that Serena had been the one to form the rapport with Brian instead of her, and had fallen into the role of his personal assistant as a result. There was no way she could find out about Riley attacking Brian, or she'd simply use it as another excuse to claim Serena was unqualified to protect him.

(Well...) Serena began, quickly erecting a few mental barriers in case Myra decided her response was unsatisfactory and resorted to the underhanded tactic of reading her mind. (as coincidence would have it, that's exactly the reason I'm trying to find Stevie, and it has everything to do with Steffi and this new visitor.)

She glanced up to catch Myra's reaction, only see her expression unchanged. (Then tell me of them, and how they've come to affect Brian so.)

Serena grimaced. Myra was hard enough to read emotionally normally, but it was impossible to get anything from her now. Serena couldn't even since the massive aura of suspicion she knew she must be regarding her with. Not seeing any other way around it, Serena heaved another sigh and began retelling all about Ross leaving Riley at the ranch for therapeutic purposes, and the relationship he and Steffi had seemingly struck up over night.

(...and that's how we got to today. As to what happened, well... Riley's not exactly... well, I don't want to say 'not normal', but he's got a lot of little tics. Brian accidentally set one of them off today, and they got into a brief altercation that's perfectly resolved and fine now!) Serena finished quickly upon seeing Myra sit up straighter at that last statement, worrying that she might have said too much. (I'm looking for Stevie though because she was present for it, and for some reason has developed a healthy unliking of Riley. Brian's worried she's going to start spreading nasty rumors about the whole thing, and wanted me to nip it in the bud.)

(And why would Stevie ever want to do something like that?) Myra responded, one eyebrow raised slightly.

(Well, none of us really know why at the moment, but Stevie is for some reason completely against his and Steffi's relationship. Like, things are really bad between the two of them right now. Worse than the normal sibling disputes they've gotten into in the past.) Serena said, glancing about the cafeteria one more time to see if she could spot the Blaziken.

(Hm.) Myra's brief response came.

Serena turned back around to take her in, one eyebrow slightly raised. (That's... really your only reaction?) When Myra gave no response, Serena realized that the other Gardevoir was staring past her at something in the background. Twisting around in her chair to get a view of it, Serena jerked in surprise and stood halfway up. Behind her, across the cafeteria at a table in the corner of the room, Stevie was hunched over with her back to them. (That's...! But how long has she-?)

(Since before you even arrived.) Myra answered, bending over to slide her chair away from the table they were seated at. Clutching the folds of her dress about her, she stood up in one elegant motion and stepped over to stand beside Serena, still half-crouched in her chair. (Leave. Let me talk to her.)

Eyeing her cautiously, Serena stood the rest of the way up, planting her hands on the table. (While I think that you trying to talk some sense into her is a fantastic idea, I really think that I should be at least present when you... you're not even listening to me are you?) She trailed off as Myra silently started away toward Stevie's table, hands folded in front of her.

Do not follow me. an emotionless telepathic message came back to Serena in her wake.

Suddenly feeling very tired with the whole situation she currently found herself in, Serena groaned and slumped back into her chair, rubbing a temple as she turned to watch Myra and Stevie.

***A/N* So ends the scripture of Kao, the rest is my doing.*A/N***

Myra took her time crossing the room, carefully analyzing the situation. If what Serena said was true, this could indeed whip the ranch into a fervor. But that was merely an afterthought, her main concern was the well-being of her friend. Myra soon reached where Stevie was sitting and telekinetically drew up a chair for herself next to her. Stevie didn't turn to look.

Myra sat herself down elegantly and knit her fingers together, eyeing Stevie.

(Good afternoon.) Myra said a few beats later.

(Hey.) Stevie uttered.

(I hear tell you and your sister have reached an impasse.) Myra replied methodically.

(Yeah..)

(Care to explain?)

(Well, there isn't much to talk about. Steffi screwed up, I lost my head, and now here I am.) Myra pursed her lips. (

I find that hard to believe.) she stated shortly.

(You think I'm lying?) Stevie snapped.

(No. I think you're sparing some critical details.) Stevie narrowed her eyes.

(Look, quit bothering me, okay? I'm not talking to you, so just go bother someone else!) Stevie ordered.

(Now Stevie, You know just as well as I do that I care about you. There's no need to become so livid about somebody trying to help you. Now please, let me in.)

Stevie finally turned to face Myra, her eyes ablaze.

(Leave. Me. Alone!) she bellowed, pounding a fist on the table.

(It's none of your business, dammit! Every single problem has to get cat-scanned by you first! I get it! You have to know every little detail about everybody's life so it doesn't upset your perfect little bubble! Well, this is personal, so keep your nose out of it!)

Stevie turned away again. Myra was quite taken aback. That stung.

(Stevie…)

(Just go. I'm not talking for anything.)

(Alright then.) Myra said dismissively, not moving. She knew what had to be done now, and she wasn't going to like it. But if it was the only way, so be it. Myra's ruby eyes then widened substantially, staring directly at Stevie. Stevie's eyelids flickered.

(Sorry.) Myra said quickly, her Hypnosis beginning to work.

(Hey,wh-what are you…) Stevie began protesting. But that was all she could manage to say before she keeled over onto the table and fell asleep. Myra took a moment to concentrate, then began to enter Stevie's mind.

Mind reading isn't as simple as one would expect. Most literature or cinema portrays it as an almost bureaucratic process; go in, pull the information needed, get out. In actuality, to truly read one's mind, a psychic must create a plausible scenario. Myra knew how strong willed and stubborn Stevie was, so she needed a powerful scenario to work her way inside. She found herself picturing the entryway as a set of powerful iron bars, easily three inches wide and almost just as thick.

Attached to the bars was a heavy deadbolt lock. Myra willed the correct key into her hand, and soon felt it between her fingers. She gingerly slipped it into the lock and turned it fluidly. She heard a click and took hold of the iron bars. With no effort, she moved them aside.

Stevie twitched. Myra was stepping inside her mind now, an abstract swirl of emotions and faint whisperings. Myra breathed in the emotion she felt, and was almost knocked back into consciousness by the overpowering vibrancy of them. Anger, frustration, worry, helplessness… and what was this? There was another emotion, difficult to distinguish from the others, but different. Before she had the chance to study it further, she felt a pinprick-like sting of heat in the corner of her mind.

(W-t -re y-u d-n-) Someone was trying to contact her. This broke her concentration, and in that fraction of a second, the scenario began melting around her like hot wax on a candle.

(M-a, y-u c-t d- t-is) came the intruder's broken message again. Myra sighed bitterly. There was no point in trying to continue, Stevie's mind had become smeared and blurry thanks to the distraction. Myra slammed the heavy barred door shut and opened her eyes.

(Myra, how could you do that? You know that probing somebody's mind for secrets is a huge invasion of privacy!) Serena was aghast that Myra had done such a thing, losing her sense of fear for the older Gardevoir in an instant to scold her.

(Didn't I tell you not to follow me?) Myra said after a pause to regain her composure.

(I came as soon as I felt two consciences in Stevie's mind. It's one thing to predict what someone is about to say, but it's another to go diving into the recesses of someone's thoughts to get secrets. Not only is it intrusive, it's dangerous! You're lucky you didn't-)

Myra silenced Serena with a single finger pressed against her lips.

(Stop talking now. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, she's out cold. She won't remember a thing.) Myra took her chin between her thumb and finger and paused to think. (I felt an odd emotion in her subconscious. I could have identified it if you hadn't interrupted me. I think it may be the key to solving this mystery of Stevie's hatred of this Riley you've told me about.)

(But, I need some more time to identify it. And that small exploration of Stevie's mind has given me quite the headache.) Myra stood up and gave Serena a dry smile. (I'll hopefully have it deciphered sooner than later. Goodbye.) Serena put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from leaving.

(Hold it. What am I supposed to do about Stevie?) Serena asked, jabbing a finger in her direction.

(She's placated for the time being.) Myra said matter-of-factly. (She shouldn't wake up for a while. Oh, and before I go, be sure to remind Brian that it was I who pacified Stevie. Not you.) And with that, she vanished. Serena was left staring at the dead space Myra used to occupy.

(Well, thanks.) she muttered angrily.

"Alright Vince, hit him in the head, right between the eyes."

*BANG*

Ben collapsed onto the floor. The shooter lowered his gun and The Sheriff began ordering his men around again. "Alright, that's another one for the fire."

Steffi furrowed her brow as the movie ended. Riley was shocked.

"Is that it?" Steffi asked incredulously.

"I guess so." Riley replied.

"Wow. What a cop out." Steffi said after a pause. Riley turned to her.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Well, it's self-explanatory. 'And then they all died, the end,' that isn't as much shocking as it is just lazy." Steffi explained, adjusting her glasses.

Riley thought for a moment, then smiled. "Maybe you're just upset that it didn't end happily." he teased.

Steffi looked down and smirked. "Hardly." she said, crossing her legs.

"You want to watch another movie? Ross told me Akira is supposed to be really good." Riley said, opening the DVD drawer again.

"I was actually hoping to do something a touch more… involved." said Steffi. Riley turned.

"What do you mean?"

Steffi took a deep breath and gave a Riley a serious glance. "I'd like for you to meet my friends."

Riley felt his stomach drop like a sandbag. "Oh." he said weakly.

"Don't panic."

"But… what about…" Riley began.

"My friends are good people. Don't worry about Stevie. She's my problem, not yours."

Riley put his paws together. "It isn't just that, what about the whole, you know, biting thing?" he said, averting eye contact.

Steffi gave Riley a smile as her eyes sparkled with confidence. "Riley, what do you do when you break something?"

Riley blinked. "What?"

"I'm asking you. What do you do if you break something?"

Riley paused. "Well, I, uh… I don't know, fix it?"

"Exactly! You fix it!" exclaimed Steffi. "The world's simplest question."

Riley smiled faintly.

"Yeah, but… how?" "Easy. Just come with me to supper tonight." Riley bit his lip.

"But what if SHE'S there?"

"She won't be. It takes her at least a day to come to her senses." Steffi stood up and placed a talon on her hip. "So, what do you think? Will you do it?"

Riley averted eye contact. "I don't know… Morgan said I was crazy."

"Oh Riley, for crying out loud, you can't take everything he says seriously! Morgan is a tremendous jerk, plain and simple. He told me that I'd be a virgin all my life if I didn't get out more." Riley blushed for what felt like the fiftieth time that day.

"Now listen, this is important. You shouldn't be afraid to walk around this ranch, and we're going to make a good impression together." Steffi patted Riley's shoulder. "Come on, Tough Guy. I know you're strong enough for this." Riley fidgeted when he felt the gentle tapping. But looking into Steffi's clever, sincere face made him feel a little better.

"Okay."


	17. Anthropophobia

***A/N* Let's play a game. Whoever catches the two references to Pokemon Games and the one movie reference hidden in the chapter wins. A hint, they are close together. *A/N***

Riley entered the bathroom. It was a large sized chamber, with white walls and a black on white diamond floor. A toilet and sink were positioned in a small adjacent space separated from the main washroom by an aerated door. In the main room, a deep, wide tub took up a large portion of the ground, big enough for two people.

Brian told Riley that he was free to use the bathtub as long as he cleaned up after himself and did his best to not leave his shedded fur behind. Riley wanted to look his absolute best for this get-together. He was more nervous about this than his date with Steffi yesterday.

Riley made sure the drain was closed before he twisted the Hot Water knob. A torrent of water poured out of the spout. Riley added what he hoped was the appropriate amount of Cold Water and a small amount of bubble bath for fun, and let the tub fill up. He examined himself in the mirror.

Riley had always been clean in appearance, his chest fur was smooth and straight, only changing in depth when the fur reached his ribcage, which was somewhat visible under it. He stretched his arms up, revealing his pronounced, but poorly toned abdominal muscles. He used to be in much better shape than this. He twitched his long, upturned ears and ran a paw through his four 'dreadlocks' on the back of his head. All in all, he found himself fairly good looking, but a poor specimen when it came to the Lucario body type in general. Oh well. 7 out of 10 was better than nothing. Then again, he was dating a 10 out of 10.

He shut the water off and gingerly tested the water with his toe. It was piping hot and permeated with foam. Riley smiled with pleasure as he lowered himself into the warm embrace of the water. Inhaling deeply, he tilted his head backwards and allowed it to be submerged. THIS was just what he needed after the stress of the past few hours, a chance to just let his mind meander and forget about his problems.

He remained underwater for a few more seconds, then reemerged through the bubbles. He idly began to hum some music, June Barcarolle by Tchaikovsky, as he took his shampoo he had brought in his medicine bag and squirted a coin sized portion into his paw. As he lathered himself up, his mind ran through the people he would be meeting tonight. The only ones he clearly remembered were Millie the Milotic, who seemed extremely friendly, and Morgan the Aggron, who Riley was cautious of after he had talked behind his back. The others were a mystery, aside from Stevie, who Steffi said wouldn't be there, thank Arceus.

Steffi had mentioned characters named Myra and Gallium, but hadn't given him much detail, other than that they were 'good Pokemon.' The fact that this ranch was full of big personalities, both good and bad, made Riley both worried and a touch excited.

He hadn't expected this much to happen over the span of just 24 hours. Thinking back, he had met new friends, new enemies, had those who befriended then immediately turned on him, and he had met a beautiful Pokemon who appeared to have feelings for him. He had hurt others, hurt himself, made others feel better, laughed and cried. And it just kept getting wilder.

He had noticed something else. Riley felt… different around Steffi. Obviously, he had a sizeable crush on her. But there was something else. Whenever someone touched him, he felt a jolt wherever they made contact and almost immediately jerked back. It was like an electric shock, an immediate fear that their hand or shoulder or whatever touched him would hurt himor cause some sort of lesion. But if Steffi touched him, it wasn't nearly as harsh. And it felt different, he felt like he shouldn't be allowed to touch her. Like her body was some priceless sculpture or a fragile structure, she was just something that was too good to touch.

Riley blinked and snapped back into reality. Wow. He hadn't felt that poetic in years. This was something big. Extremely pretentious, but big.

His mind then drifted to those who harbored dislike for him. Stevie immediately came to his mind. What a strange bird. She appeared so warm and feisty the first time he met her, but quicker than lightning, she seemed to resent him. What did he do? Had he said anything? Done anything? Well, aside from biting Brian. But Brian dismissed that as a reflex. Not to mention, she had heard Riley's story and barely batted an eye. Whatever he did, he hoped to make it better.

Then there was Janet. Riley had no idea about her. The second she laid eyes on him, she hated him. That didn't make any sense to him. Sure, there are some people who are aloof, him included, but no one is outright hostile to anyone before they know them at all, unless they did something to hurt someone else. Ross had told him that some people are born with no conscience. Maybe she was one of those cases.

Riley inhaled the perfumey air around him, and slumped over onto his back. Tonight was going to be a trial.

5:30 PM

Steffi sat herself down in the TV room armchair. Normally, she would have brought a book to pass the time. Not tonight. She felt too on edge to even select a book to read. She was alarmed at how tense she had become. She wasn't so much nervous for herself, she was nervous about Riley. She really hoped he could handle this. The poor guy had been through so much already, she just wanted something to go smoothly for a change.

The guest room door creaked open, and Riley stepped out. He looked refreshed, his fur was carefully brushed and he had taken the time to clean his ears. Even his spikes were polished.

"You look good." Steffi said.

"So do you." Riley replied.

"I didn't do anything to myself."

"I know. You still look good."

Steffi smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Riley, was that flirting?"

Riley giggled sheepishly and felt himself blush again. "Maybe."

Serena made her way into the room, carrying a large brown umbrella. (If the two of you are planning on going out in that mess, you'd better take this. It's large enough for two.)

Riley spoke up. "Is Brian alright?"

"Never better. He doesn't even feel it anymore."

Steffi took the umbrella from Serena. "I'll hold that." Riley said, extending his paw, but Steffi shook her head. "Allow me. I'll be the gentlewoman this time." Serena crossed her arms. "So, where are you two off to?"

"Steffi wants me to meet her friends." Riley said.

"Really? Are you excited?" Serena inquired.

"Very. I'm also kind of terrified." Riley smiled nervously.

"No need to worry, Riley. I'm sure Steffi'll take good care of you."

Steffi gave an annoyed scoff and placed the umbrella on her shoulder. "Serena, don't be so condescending. Riley's not my pet, he's my boyfriend."

Riley's heart skipped a beat. "Wh-wha… boyfriend?" he stammered. Steffi smiled dryly. "Yes, I figured it's time to make things official. With all the drama going on at the ranch, my emotions have gone haywire, so I figured it would be nice to keep one of them in check."

Riley couldn't believe it. "We-I… thank you." he said, dipping his head humbly, as if he was being presented with knighthood. Serena bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing.

"Alright… I guess we better get going. Do-" Steffi stopped, and sniffed the air. "Is that cologne?"

"No, it's aftershave. I couldn't find any cologne." Riley said.

"Wow. No holds barred this time around, huh?" Steffi said, smirking.

"I want to make a good impression." Riley replied.

"You're going to supper, not a job interview. You should try to think of this as a time to have fun and not worry about impressing everybody else, just be yourself." Riley nodded.

"But not too yourself." Steffi added.

There was a pause, and the two of them began laughing. "Come on, Tough Guy. Let's go."

"...following reports of possible Cipher activity in the Mauville area, Police are now on the lookout for any form of corruption in the Hoenn Parliament. Back to you, Richard."

"Thank you, Gabby. And now for the Weather Forecast. The perpetual rain over the Mid-Eastern region of Sinnoh unfortunately shows no signs of slowing, meteorologists have attributed the torrential conditions to a monsoon created from excess evaporation during last summer's heat wave. Temperatures will remain in the low fifties, and a thunderstorm watch is in effect for the following-"

"Myra, what are you doing?"

Myra opened her eyes and turned to Penny. "Listening to the News. I think it would be a better idea for us to stay indoors."

"Wait… how are you listening to the News?" Penny asked.

"Radio waves are easy to hear if you know where to look."

"Uhh… your nose is bleeding."

Myra touched a finger to her nose and examined the small drop of crimson blood. "And here's why I don't listen to them that often. They're of a certain frequency that can cause mild physical damage." She took a napkin from the table and delicately dabbed at her nose.

"So, have you heard what happened to the Blaziken twins? Are they okay?" Penny said, concerned.

"Stevie is calming her nerves by taking a nap. Steffi, from what I can hear in her mind, is perfectly content." Myra balled up her napkin and tossed into a nearby waste-basket.

"What about her boyfriend?"

"Of him, I'm not certain."

The two turned at the sound of a throat being cleared. Gallium, the Metagross, had made his way to their usual meeting place in the Cafeteria.

"Chiraptophobia: Also known as Aphephobia or Haptephobia, is the fear of touch, being touched, or physical contact. Symptoms include shortness of breath, inarticulation, nausea, irregular heartbeat, and shaking."

Penny frowned and rolled her eyes. "So what, Gallium, is that just Weird Factoid of The Day, or are you just talking to hear your own voice?"

Gallium gave a short laugh. "On the contrary, Penelope. I'm merely stating the boy's disorder."

Myra spoke up. "And how do you know this?"

"The youth of the ranch are aflutter about this controversial new interest of Stephanie's. Rumors spread like tachyons around here, you should know."

Penny sighed. "So THAT'S his problem. I nearly scared the kid to death this morning."

"He is easily frightened. He was driven to bite Brian when his fears were stimulated."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Penny exclaimed.

Myra silenced Penny by raising a finger. "Stop. Look who's coming to dinner." Myra pointed with the same finger.

Steffi was approaching their table, with an apprehensive Lucario at her side. "Here he comes…" Penny muttered.

"I can hear his tension from here." Myra said, turning to face them.

Steffi waved. "Hi everyone, sorry we're a little late." she said.

"We are all glad you made it through the abysmal weather. I take it the gentleman at your side is Riley."

Riley mustered a friendly smile. "That's right. And you're…Gallium?"

"That is my name, although I'm mostly Titanium with a small amount of Antimony." The Metagross said, nodding graciously.

Steffi pulled up a chair for herself, and another for Riley, who thanked her quickly before sitting down and folding his paws in his lap.

"So," Steffi began "Her name is Myra," Myra gave a single wave, keeping her neutral expression, "And I suppose you already know Penny." The Flygon smiled apologetically before speaking up.

"Hey, listen, I'm sorry I frightened you this morning." she said.

"Oh, it isn't your fault. I shouldn't have overreacted like that." Riley replied. "No hard feelings, right?"

Penny shook her head. "No, we're cool."

Myra took a deep, silent breath before speaking up. "So… what drove you to attack Brian today?" she asked shortly.

Riley felt a knot tighten in his stomach. How did she know already?

Gallium turned to the older Gardevoir. "Really, Myra. That's your first question? I wouldn't have thought you could be so tactless." Myra knitted her brows, but remained silent.

Gallium turned back to Riley. "You'll have to forgive her, Myra is not one for first impressions. I'm SURE," Gallium added extra emphasis on the these two words, "That she won't be so rude to someone she hasn't even met. Now, if you do not mind me asking, Riley, could you tell me about Aura?"

Riley opened his mouth, then quickly closed it. Aura? What about it?

"Aura? What about it?" Riley inquired mechanically.

"I mean, I've never met a Lucario who was willing to chat before, and, if you'll pardon my superstitious demeanor, I was wondering what my Aura manifested as."

Steffi leaned in towards Riley. "He wants to know the color of his Aura." she said. Riley's face brightened.

"Oh, okay, I understand. Just give me one second."

Riley cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and held his breath.

His pupils briefly glazed over as he felt the energy of his Aura hum around his ears. Opening his eyes, he could perceive the Auras of everyone around him, flashing in dozens of different colors and frequencies. He turned to where Gallium was standing.

"Yours is, sort of green-yellow. Like lemon-lime. It's sparking all over the place." Riley uttered.

"Fascinating." Gallium said. "Thank you, Riley."

Riley exhaled slowly, re-entering the monochrome normal world.

"No problem. Green usually means that you have a lot of ideas, and yellow is basically satisfaction."

"That describes him pretty well." Steffi laughed.

Gallium made a satisfied noise of approval.

"I have to say, Riley. You are not nearly as frightened as I was expecting. I suppose it goes to show you that a good number of hypotheses have significant margins of error."

Riley didn't know how to respond to that. "Uh… thank you." he responded, not really thinking about what he said.

"But enough jargon, tell us about yourself."

Riley knew how to respond to that, at least. "Um, well, I'm from Veilstone City, and I'm an Ex-Battler, I gave it up two years ago. I came to Skyline on Doctor's orders, and I like it here, almost everyone seems really nice. Um, what else… I love music, and I'm hoping to become a Therapy Pokemon when I get older."

"Aah, Therapy. As long as humans walk the planet, discontent will remain. Work will be easy to find, I guarantee it."

"Ha, yeah, I hope so." Riley chuckled.

"So, how do you know Ross?" Penny inquired.

"Oh, um, we met at about the time I needed a Doctor."

Gallium cleared his throat. "Ah, yes, on that subject, the common word seems to say that you are Chiraptophobic. If you'll pardon my abruptness, how long has this been a problem for you?"

"As far back as I can remember. I remember hating to play with other Pokemon when I was little because I was nervous that they would tackle me."

"Such a shame. Does this fear stem from anything?" Gallium asked, mirroring Freud.

"Well, no. I mean, I think my Dad had it, whoever he was. I don't even know if he was a Lucario. All I ever knew was my Mom, and then Harris."

"Intriguing."

Riley had been nervously eyeing Myra the entire conversation, and she hadn't broken eye contact with him since Gallium silenced her.

"Ms. Myra… I'm sorry that I upset you." Riley finally said, after a momentary pause that felt like an eternity to him.

Myra didn't respond immediately, simply raising an eyebrow for a few moments. "I don't hold any resentment towards you," she began, lying through her teeth. "But I'd like to know your motivation, at the very least."

Riley swallowed hard, then began. "I-I was really upset to begin with, and Brian didn't warn me. I was really surprised when he picked me up, and I didn't think… I don't even remember doing it. I know that… that isn't much of an excuse, but… I feel terrible about it, and I'm really, truly sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Myra remained silent for a few beats, and simply responded with "Hm."

Steffi spoke up angrily.

"Myra, stop it. He spent a half hour stewing in his own guilt, and he's done everything he can to make it up to Brian, he's apologized ten fold. I think you you owe him at least a little bit of forgiveness, or else you're just being petty!"

Riley nearly gasped in shock. "Stop, Steffi! Don't say that." he pleaded, but Gallium intervened.

"Now hold on, everyone. There isn't any need for such an acrimonious demeanor. What kind of impression are we making on each other if we spend the entirety of our meal bickering?" he remarked crisply.

Steffi's expression softened, and she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, sorry. It's just been a crazy couple of days. I mean, Stevie's been so weird…"

Myra interrupted. "About that. Your sister was extremely agitated this afternoon, and I've done some investigation as to why. Speak with me later."

Penny took the opportunity to speak to Riley. " So, what kind of move-set did you use when you battled?" she asked.

Riley scratched the back of his head. "Erm, it's difficult to explain. Harris always told me to use my flexibility, and my agility. So, I did my best to never stay in one spot for more than a second. I really like using kicks, because it always hurt to punch, and I was pretty good with Dragon Pulse. Oh yeah,and Harris did his best to stay out of my fights as much as possible, so I could plan my own strategies if I was alone. That's how I beat Spenser's Slaking."

"Woah, hold the phone, you beat Spenser's Slaking?!" Penny exclaimed.

"Uh huh. I thought he was going to beat me at first, 'cause he was just so strong. I remember he grabbed me by the foot at one point and slammed me into the ground like this." Riley made an arch motion over his ears and clapped his paws together at the trough of his curve.

Gallium laughed shortly. "That's what I call momentum at work."

"Yeah. But then I thought to myself, 'attacking his body won't do anything, there's too much muscle and, er, girth, to do any real damage.' So I went for his head. I don't really remember it all too well, but I won by hitting him in the temple with a High Jump Kick."

*CRACK-BOOM*

The entire cafeteria jumped at the sudden deafening noise from outside.

"Holy-!" Penny exclaimed.

"What on earth?" Gallium cried.

"I thought so…" Myra said.

Riley instinctively seized his ears and ducked down. "What was that?!"

"Thunder. I was worried that this would happen." Myra said. "I'm afraid that you may need to avoid going outside anymore tonight. It sounds bad."

Steffi clenched her talons together. "Oh, no we're not. It's not storming yet, and I'm not going to be stuck in the cafeteria all night again, and neither is Riley." Steffi then stood up urgently. "I hate to cut this meal short, but we've got to get back to the House."

"Now? But you haven't had anything to eat." Gallium interjected.

"And I hope you know that I can't Teleport you two when there is this much electricity in the air. It could kill all three of us." Myra added.

Steffi looked about, and then her eyes fell on Penny.

"Fly us."

"Now?" Penny said back.

"Yes, now. Before we get trapped in here for another night."

"Well, I guess I could, but, what about…" Penny nodded a head towards Riley.

"Riley, if we stay here, we'll be packed together like fish. You would have to stay like that for hours, I think riding on Penny for a little while won't kill you, will it?"

Riley took a moment to absorb all the information that had been thrown at him. "Yeah… yeah, okay." he concurred.

"Okay, well, we better get outside. I guess I'll talk to you all later." Steffi said, as quickly and graciously as possible.

"Until we meet again." Gallium said.

"Travel safely." Myra added.

Penny spread her wings. "Okay guys, I hope you don't mind getting wet. Let's go."


	18. Philemaphobia

***A/N* Before reading this chapter, I would like to encourage you to take the poll you can find on my profile. It won't take but a moment, and will help immensely with the development of our story. After that, feel free to enjoy. Younger viewers, keep on your toes for some sensuality at the end. The story is rated T for a reason, after all. Special thanks to Midnight's Haze for the poll idea, and being a good fan in general. *A/N***

"Hurry, hurry. It's picking up fast." Penny ordered.

Steffi awkwardly climbed onto Penny's back as Riley looked on apprehensively. The clouds above had become infuriated, turning charcoal grey and whipping wind around trees with an invisible lasso.

"Steffi, I-I don't know if I can do this." Riley uttered, placing his trembling paws together.

Steffi turned to look at her boyfriend. "This will be over in less than a minute, Riley. I promise." she replied reassuringly.

Penny turned to Riley and smiled confidently. "If there's one thing I can do, Ry, it's fly. You won't have to worry about anything."

Riley felt his body seize up. Now what? Here he was, confronted with a rock and a hard place. But he had to do it. He couldn't drop out now.

"W-well, if there's no other way… I-I can try."

"'Atta boy!" Penny chirped enthusiastically.

Riley stiffly approached her, not exactly sure how to climb up onto a Flygon's back. He put his paws in front of him, as if to begin climbing, but he froze, leaving him stuck in a position that resembled a crude caricature of Mr. Mime. Steffi exhaled and nimbly grabbed Riley's forearm, yanking him onto Penny in one swift bodily tug.

"Ah!" Riley exclaimed, a little more shrill than he wanted to sound. He sharply sat himself up behind Steffi, gave her a fake laugh, and then looked away.

"You two ready?" Penny yelled, turning her head in their general direction.

"Yes."

"I think so…"

"Alright," Penny declared, giving her wings an enthusiastic flap, "Let's ride!"

Penny started pumping her wings, getting herself off of the ground. Riley could feel her muscles working on his legs, and he felt a shiver run up his spine. His breath got faster and faster with every wing movement. He squeezed his eyes shut and thought of the most relaxing situations he could make. He wasn't here, he was curled up in a warm bed beneath a big comforter with a huge pillow, he was sitting in a sun-filled meadow with soft, mint-green grass all around him, he was resting on a couch with his head on Steffi's shoulder…

Wait, what?

Penny began heading forward, blowing Steffi's feathers back. Penny carefully added a little altitude to her flight, high enough to avoid scraping the ground, low enough to avoid any tree branches.

Riley instinctively dug his paws into Penny's back, too frightened to brush the feathers irritating his face off of him. The ground below him was rushing by quickly, and he tried to distract himself by looking for any interesting landmarks.

Steffi turned to face Riley, a finger pressed to her glasses to keep them from flying off. "Are you alright, Riley?!" she yelled over the wind.

"No!" Riley responded truthfully.

Penny shouted something, but the velocity of the wind in Riley's ears, flat against his head, drowned out any chance of hearing her. She traveled upwards over a clearing of trees.

The rain began, drops flying past Riley's head like bullets, some hitting their target in his eyes. One splashed against his nose, dousing his muzzle in chilled water. Still too frightened to remove his paws, he blew away as much as he could by exhaling.

Penny swerved to glide over the lake, the surface looking like a dark green pit. "Nearly there, Riley!" Steffi bellowed.

Riley tried to respond when Penny suddenly jerked backwards with all of her force. For half a second, a jagged, white hot bolt of lightning flashed into view directly in front of them, zig zagging towards a group of trees. Riley would have screamed if he hadn't been numbed by the energy of the bolt humming through his body.

"HOLY SHIT!" Penny shouted, shaking her head. "Damn, was that close! Is everyone alright?"

Riley felt his insides freeze with dread. Steffi was no longer seated in front of him. He whipped his head over his shoulders to look down. Steffi, with a blank, shocked expression, tumbled through the air below him like a ragdoll, making slow, surreal circles before she hit the water with a heavy splash, vanishing underneath a white-out of bubbles.

This time, Riley did scream. He screamed as loud and long as his breath allowed him.

Steffi's head broke through the surface of the water, she gasped for air and kicked her legs to try and stay afloat. Her glasses had fallen off when she hit the surface, so everything in the distance became an inconsistent, fuzzy mess.

Being a Fire Type, Steffi avoided being submerged in any water. Not only did it make her weak, she couldn't swim. Even if she wanted too, her bad leg was a major impediment. She felt her legs getting heavier and heavier as she cried out for help.

"PENNY! PENNY, I FELL! RILEY? WHERE ARE YOU?"

She couldn't tell where anything in the distance was, she couldn't tell how close she was to shore. Her bad leg gave out on her, causing her to sink below the surface. She swallowed a mouthful of lukewarm lakewater as she reemerged, setting her to coughing.

The world around her began to swirl. She felt her limbs become like lead. Her mind clouded up, as though the very water drowning her had leaked into her brain. She couldn't keep this up anymore. She was too weak to even yell for aid again. She feebly kicked her legs a few more times before finally blacking out and beginning to sink.

*SPLASH*

A figure landed a foot away from her with a sizeable splash. Two black paws grabbed her beneath the shoulders and hoisted her head into the air again.

"Steffi? Steffi, are you okay?" Riley was drenched, but the only thing he felt was fear for his girlfriend.

"R...Ri…" Steffi managed to slur before her half lidded eyes closed again.

"No, no, NO! Steffi, stay awake! Come on!" Riley shook her, but she remained limp. Steffi was almost a foot taller than Riley, and her voluptuous body simply made her sink faster. Riley couldn't support her weight, but he had to try. He swam in a random direction, Steffi limply supported on his shoulder.

"Steffi, please… I-I need you." Riley whimpered, getting nowhere fast. He couldn't support his weight and Steffi's, but he diligently swam towards where he thought shore might be.

He felt his arms and legs burn as he continued pumping them, traveling at a Slugma's pace. He had to make it, for Steffi, and for him. He wouldn't allow either of them to drown. But he felt weaker with each thrust of his legs, and soon began gasping rapidly. No, this wasn't the time for a panic attack! He had to make it!

"SOMEBODY HELP US!" he screamed as a last ditch effort.

Miraculously, a gurgle of bubbles appeared in front of him, and a figure appeared from underwater.

"What on earth are you doing out in this weather?!" A Kingdra, with a feminine voice, scolded him as she observed the situation.

Riley lost all sense of ethics. "SHUT UP AND HELP ME, SHE'S GONNA DROWN!" he shrieked.

The Kingdra, quicker than he could react, was underneath him. She boosted him and Steffi onto her back. "Why didn't you say so?" she said, and began to swim towards shore. Riley placed his paw feebly on the Blaziken's face, who was still unconscious.

"We're gonna be okay, Stef. We're gonna be okay…" His lower lip trembled and he hugged her with all his might.

Brian frowned as he looked at the storm raging outside.

(Still looking outside, Brian?) Serena appeared by his side, wearing an apron. (Supper's just about ready, you'll feel better when you eat.)

Brian pursed his lips. "I'm just worried about Riley."

Serena squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. (Relax, I'm sure he's in good hands. I saw the two of them off a few hours ago, and I gave them an umbrella. I don't think a little rain is going to bother them too much.)

The front door was thrown open with such force it made the doorstop bounce and rebound wildly. Riley, a barely conscious Steffi supported on his shoulders, entered the room, dripping with cold water. Penny landed outdoors, spraying mud in various directions. Serena gasped as Brian hurried to help Riley support Steffi.

(Wh-what happened to you two?) Serena exclaimed.

(They wanted me to fly them, and lightning nearly hit me! They fell in the lake when I dodged it!) Penny said, mortified.

(How did you get them out?)

(Jolene fished the two of them out, and I scooped them up when she brought them to shore. Are they going to be alright?)

Brian turned to Serena. "Grab some towels, two pillows, and an extra comforter from the linen closet." Serena nodded and vanished in a burst of light.

"Yeah, Steffi's going to be fine, Penny. She's just in hydraulic shock." Brian laid Steffi down on the couch, leaving Riley to collapse onto his rear and catch his breath. Brian hurried to the fire place, flicked the switch, and started up as big of a fire as he could. "Riley, come sit by the fire and warm up, okay?" Riley obliged, crawling over. Brian scooped Steffi up off the couch and laid her down by the fire.

Serena reappeared, holding stacks of fabric. She gave a towel to each of the sopping wet Pokemon, and handed Brian the rest. Riley did his best to dry himself off while Brian worked on Steffi. Serena hurried over to the still upset Flygon outside.

(I'm so sorry this happened, I never-) Penny began.

(No, it isn't your fault at all, it was a freak accident. Just get yourself out of the rain, but don't tell anyone what happened, alright? The last thing we need is a crowd.)

Penny hesitated, then nodded after a few moments and took off into the dark sky.

Brian propped Steffi's head up onto a pillow, and she made a few weak noises.

"K...ke...blaze…"

"Shh, don't talk. Just rest. You're safe, Steffi." Brian whispered gently, unrolling an off-white comforter for the damp Pokemon.

Riley had bundled himself up in his towel, looking like a swaddled baby. "Is...she...breathing?" Riley managed to force out to Brian.

"Yes, of course she's breathing, Riley. Her life isn't in any danger, the cold water just made her weak. She'll feel better when she's warmed up."

Riley sighed with relief, but it quickly turned into a shudder.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm… still… cold." Riley muttered.

Brian hurried out of the room, and came back moments later with the blankets from Riley's bed. "Here, cozy up under these. Here's a pillow." Brian tossed one to Riley. Riley gratefully buried himself beneath his blankets and rested his head upon the pillow.

"Riley, you stay warm, okay? I'm going to call Ross, and it's okay if you don't want to talk, just rest, okay?"

Riley nodded. "Thanks...for...everything." he stammered.

Brian simply smiled in response, and hurried out of the room one last time.

It only took a few minutes for Riley's exhaustion to get the better of him, and he drifted off to sleep.

11:21 PM

Steffi opened her eyes. Her myopia prevented her from making out anything more than a foot in front of her, but she recognized the color of the ceiling. She lifted her head up, and found herself lying on the carpeted floor of the darkened main room. The fire was going strong, casting an orange-yellow glow over her. Suddenly, she froze, her eyes lidded, and her beak trembled.

"Heh..eh...AH'TSCHOO!"

Steffi bucked forward with the force of her sneeze, forcing her into a sitting position. She shook her head clear of haze and blinked several times.

"Okay, that felt good…"

Steffi started at the sound of a quiet rasping noise. She turned, and found Riley asleep just a few feet away from her, mouth open, curled up beneath blankets. Steffi was about to place a hand on his shoulder, but stopped herself. Still, she needed to let him know she was alright.

"Riley...Riley..?"

Riley jerked awake, eyes glazed over.

"It's Steffi." she whispered.

Riley almost instantly snapped back into reality.

"Steffi!" he exclaimed, hardly containing the joy in his voice. "You're okay!"

Steffi smirked. "Define 'okay.' Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Steffi looked about herself. "I must have been out for a while. The last thing I remember was you falling in the lake with me."

Riley looked away from Steffi. "I didn't fall."

Steffi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I definitely remember you pulling me up by the armpits." she insisted.

"No, I mean, I didn't fall. I hung on to Penny when you fell, and when I saw you fall, I…" Riley paused to gulp. "I jumped in after you."

Steffi blinked, and looked at the Lucario, now averting eye contact with her.

"Riley, that was a huge drop, if you landed the wrong way, you could've fractured a rib. Hell, I'm surprised I didn't. And in the middle of a half mile long lake? You could've drowned trying to drag me out of there. Riley… you… you risked your life."

The Lucario's sullen green eyes stared directly at the fire. "Yeah, I know, it was a stupid thing to do, okay? I didn't think."

Steffi studied Riley's embarrassed expression. "You're right. That was a dumb decision. Suicidal, even."

"Look you don't have to-"

"But…" Steffi smiled. "It was a touching decision. In both senses."

Riley looked into the Blaziken's face and found sincerity in her smile. He smiled weakly back at her. Before he could respond, Steffi had pressed her beak against his lips, in a swift, delicate motion. Riley simply froze, blinking rapidly. The kiss was broken when Steffi retreated after a few moments. Steffi blushed hard, and cleared her throat.

"Sorry about that." she said.

"N-no problem." Riley muttered, more as a reflex than an actual response.

"I suppose you can consider that a reward for nearly killing yourself." Steffi jested.

Riley's face was heating up as fast as hot metal. The warmth traveled into his stomach and sparked a bonfire of emotion. His heart pounded. His entire body was soon saturated with an electric tingling.

Before his mind had time to react, his arms shot around Steffi's torso, and his head moved his entire body, like a marionette on strings, to make his lips meet with her beak for a second time.

Steffi made a short surprised noise at Riley's act, but soon relaxed and put her arms around the Lucario. The two remained embraced, enjoying the feeling of smooth blue fur brushing against soft red plumage. Delicately, Steffi brushed Riley's lip with her tongue, testing the boundaries of how far he was willing to go. To her surprise, Riley replied in kind, and eventually, the two muscles met, gently intertwining, then began playfully sparring with one another.

A few experimental tongue movements later, Riley finally broke the kiss.

"Riley. That… that was…" Steffi muttered.

"Uh huh." Riley replied.

"Wow. I've never been kissed like that before." Steffi said, a small, satisfied grin on her face.

"Did I do okay?" Riley asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his paw.

"Yes, you did great. I honestly didn't expect you to go so far." Steffi remarked.

Riley smiled from ear to ear. The two shared a few moments of silence, before Riley spoke up.

"Would you… stay by the fire? With me? For the night?" he asked.

Steffi nodded.

"I wouldn't get up for anything."


End file.
